


Once Upon A Dream

by idontwantperfection



Series: Descendants AUs & such like [5]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Hades is a Good Parent, Politics on the Isle of the Lost (Disney), Prophecy, United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25912861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontwantperfection/pseuds/idontwantperfection
Summary: “I don’t belong in your world Ben.”The dreams have been plaguing Ben for weeks now.He doesn’t know who the girl with the purple hair and leather jacket is. But he wanted to.Tonight the dreams changed. And now he’s pretty sure his dream girl is from the Isle of the Lost. Now he just has to find a way to make her choose good.
Relationships: Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants)
Series: Descendants AUs & such like [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1960822
Comments: 108
Kudos: 327





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had to do it. Here’s my take on the ‘once upon a dream’ thing.
> 
> As is my usual, a slight tweak to cannon in that they’re 18 in their final year, not 16.

Ben jolted awake. Again.

Breathing heavily, he tried to calm his racing heart. The dreams were so vivid. So real. If he focused, he could almost recall the finer details. 

This was the third time this week he’d woken in a cold sweat. It was only Tuesday. He almost wished they were nightmares.

He glanced across the dorm to check that he hadn’t woken Doug. He wasn’t sure if he talked in his sleep. 

He wasn’t aware of it. But now would be a terrible time to start. 

When all he could think about was that teasing smile, the mischievous look she threw over her shoulder. The laugh that promised they were about to break about a dozen rules and he was going to love every minute of it. 

There was just one issue.

He wasn’t dreaming about Audrey. 

Flopping back onto his pillows, he let out a heavy breath. He needed to stop this. It wasn’t very Kingly.

For once, Ben was thankful for his parents’ insistence that he was treated like a normal student. He and Doug had been roommates since they started Auradon Prep seven years before. They’d been through everything. Grounded, boosted, comforted each other when they needed it. There was something comforting about being able to focus on the same snores you’d been listening to since you were eleven as you tried to slow your heart rate to a reasonable pace. 

On nights like this, a single suite would have seemed so much emptier. 

He didn’t know who the girl with the purple hair and leather jacket was. But he wanted to. 

She wasn’t from Auradon Prep, that was for sure. 

But whoever she was, she’d haunted his dreams almost every night for almost six weeks. 

He’s pretty sure he’s halfway in love with her. She’s slowly started taking over his waking hours as well as his dreams. 

When he thinks of his coronation, he thinks of lavender by his side, not candyfloss. When he struggles through another round of preparation for Kinghood, she’s the one he wants to offload on. He wants to know about her day. He wants to know about  _ her _ .

Sometimes the dreams are from his point of view. Sometimes it’s like he’s watching a movie.

Sometimes they’re spending time together. Sometimes he’s watching her draw. Sometimes she’s with her friends.

Tonight was different. Tonight she was scared. 

It had started off fairly normal. They were by the enchanted lake. It was his point of view. They were on a picnic blanket. She was stretched out on her stomach, sketching. He was being very un-Kingly. 

He’d been running his hand along her bare leg, searching for ticklish spots. He’d wanted to break her focus. Find the kink in her armour. He’d snuck his fingertips just under the edge of her shorts, and he could sense her smile although he couldn’t see it. She’d shifted her legs slightly, the only sign he’d affected her. It was less of a squirm away and more of a dare. An invitation.

He still took it as a win. She made him want to break all the rules. 

Audrey would have  _ died _ at the thought of being caught acting like normal teenagers in public. 

This girl, she made him feel like just Ben.

But then the scene shifted. They were sitting face to face. His hand on her ankle. Storm clouds appeared from nowhere. She looked heartbroken as she held a leather book to her chest with both hands, “I don’t belong in your world, Ben.”

He felt his stomach drop. Fear flooded his veins. He was losing her. He tried to speak. Tell her it wasn’t true. But the scene shifted again.

He didn’t know where they were. He hadn’t seen this place before. It was dark and dingy and dirty. It had to be the middle of the night. It looked like an alleyway. There were broken crates to one side, discarded rubbish on the other.

He heard a clatter further up the alley, and suddenly he was looking at a very different scene.

He was an outsider looking in. Whatever was going on, he wasn’t a part of it.

His girl - because that’s what she was, she was his - had her back to him. He hadn’t seen her like this before. Her hair was wild. There was dirt and tangles and he was pretty sure he saw a fishing hook stuck near the ends. She wasn’t just wearing a leather jacket, she was in what looked like full armour. Not the kind the Auradon Guard wore - ceremonial and made for posing - this was made for movement and stealth and protection. It was all eggplant, vibrant greens and black. And the barest hint of navy blue.

And then he noticed the man between his girl and the wall.

The man she had  _ pinned _ to the wall. 

He easily had ten years on her, but she’d still beaten him. And now he was against the wooden planks of whatever building they were outside, her forearm across his chest and a blade to throat.

Ben rushed to her side. He didn’t understand. He reached out to grab her, protect her - she  _ obviously _ didn’t need protecting - question her. Before he could speak, her head snapped to the side.

The heartbroken look was gone. She was paler. Thinner. The mischievous looks he’d come to look forward to had been replaced by a cold, detached mask. There was a steely glint in her eye that told him she’d gut him sooner than kiss him. The aura surrounding her was commanding and powerful and took up more space than anything he’d ever encountered. 

The grin she threw him was pure evil - the kind fairy godmother warned them all about, not the kind that promised he’d love every moment of it. “I’m rotten.”

“To the Core.”

The words echoed behind him, and he spun to the source of the voices. And there were her friends. Blocking the alley, stepping out of the darkness. Each wearing a similar armour.

The girl with the blue hair, the one he’d seen with Doug in his dreams. He’d been used to blue dresses. Red skirts. Killer heels. Here, she was clad head to toe in blue leather. A tunic replaced her usual outfits. Her hair pulled back in a complicated braid that was both stylish and practical.

The boy he’d seen playing on the school lawns with a puppy was now standing there under a thin layer of grime. His leather was a patchwork of white, red and black, and oddly familiar. His hair was chaos, his knuckles bloody. 

And the boy he’d pegged as the carefree jock...he looked more like a man here. Hair tied back in a bun. Red and yellow leather fit like a glove. His presence commanded respect and fear. Possibly more so than the girl with the knife he’d turned his back on. 

They all had the same blank, guarded expression. 

They all looked at him like he was nothing. Like he wasn’t worth their time. Looked  _ through _ him. Like they dared him to judge them.

He’d bolted into consciousness when his girl - she was still his, even like this - let out a cackle that made his hair stand on end - and his blood rush south. 

Okay. So either he was officially losing it. Or he was dreaming about a girl from the Isle of the Lost.

Taking another calming breath, Ben ran his hands over his face as he tried to collect his thoughts. There had to be an explanation for this. 

Option 1. The pressure of preparing to be King was getting to him. He was looking for an escape and his brain created the perfect girl who also happened to be a Villain Kid. 

Option 2. The seafood dish they’d served at dinner tonight was a little funky, and his usual dreams had taken a hit. That would also explain why he’d found an evil cackle more than a bit of a turn on. 

Option 3. He was being spelled and he’d let this go on far too long. Somehow, with news of his investiture as Crown Prince being announced, villains had found a way to get inside his head. He wasn’t sure what the end game was, but it was possible.

However, he’d been at the Enchanted Lake that morning. And the wards around the school, the Kingdom and the Isle were still holding strong.

There weren’t any other options. 

Were there?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben discovers exactly what 'dreams converging with reality' means. King Adam feels a headache coming on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I figure if I put myself on the clock, I'll complete chapter 4. The 13 chapters after it are just sitting there mocking me now.

Ben was halfway through his first class of the day when he was summoned to the castle.

He assumed word had gotten out about how he’d broken up with Audrey before breakfast. He’d tried to be kind. Tried to explain he didn’t think he was ready for what she wanted and it wasn't fair to string her along.

He didn’t tell her he’d been thinking of someone else for six weeks - someone he wasn’t entirely convinced was real. He didn’t tell her he’d only dated her because it was expected of them. He cared about her. She was one of his best friends. But he wasn’t in love with her.

He’d tried to tell her she deserved better.

It did not go down well.

Queen Leah had probably already demanded an audience with his mother. He was probably going to be told to make nice and fix it.

This Tuesday was going to be fun.

…

As it turned out, his parents were unaware of his relationship status. His mother was relieved and dispatched a servant to intercept Queen Leah when she inevitably reached out. His father just smiled.

And then they moved to the business at hand.

Ben had never been involved in Isle briefings before. Unless it was something his father called him in on, or coincided with his lessons, he wasn’t due to experience this part of Kinghood for a few more months.

There was an order in preparing for ruling a kingdom. Various lessons with his parents through childhood. Trips. Shadowing. And then when he reached sixteen, the preparation really began. On top of his normal schooling, he began to outline his plans as a ruler. Work out what kind of king he wanted to be. What his goals were. What he wanted to achieve.

When he graduated this summer, a few months shy of his nineteenth birthday, he’d start shadowing then taking over tasks from his father. A phased integration. His father would step away, and he would take the helm.

And then, one month after his twenty first birthday, he’d officially be crowned King.

In some ways, those three years seemed a lifetime away.

In short, it meant that if his father had called him in for an Isle briefing, something had happened. As far as Ben was aware, they pretty much left the villains to their own devices. He didn’t agree with it. They were all his people. But he wasn’t King yet. He couldn’t make his choices yet.

As a rule, the approach was fairly hands off. Supplies were dropped weekly. The economy was poor but self sustaining. The Auradon Guard rarely got involved in Isle matters. The villains were split into two categories - ‘Still Evil’ and ‘Isle-ised’. The sidekicks mostly fell into the second category. The children of the villains ran their own community, an uneasy alliance of gangs coexisting on the various ‘turfs’. It was accepted that with the exception of a few villains - Maleficent and Gaston to name two - the children had the potential to be more dangerous than their parents. All they’d ever known was the Isle.

It was no surprise that Maleficent’s daughter ran the Isle. She was her mother’s daughter after all. She had the lion's share of territory. Brokered deals with the other gangs. Between the other gangs. Rumour had it she even kept some of the OVs (Original Villains) in line. Her deputies were the children of the Evil Queen, Cruella DeVil and Jafar.

_The Queen’s daughter doesn’t need to steal, she’ll flutter her eyelashes and you’ll just hand it all over._

_People underestimate the DeVil boy, he’s quick and he’s smart and he knows how to disappear._

_Jafar’s boy is the muscle. He’s everything Aladdin wishes he’d been and then some. But could also snap you in half like a twig._

_And the girl...well she brings it all together. Maleficent trained her, but she doesn’t care for her. She’s groomed her daughter to take her place, but the witch would never willingly step down._

Ben felt uneasy as the Head of the Guard gave him the whistlestop history of the Isle. Last night's dream was still fresh in his mind.

Something had happened last night on the Isle, about the time he’d woken up in a cold sweat. Something had happened as his dreams changed.

And this was all feeling too familiar.

“Which brings us to last night.” Javier had been in his role for four years. He’d been with the guard twenty two. Since before Auradon existed. He was old school. Everyone in this castle was old school. “There was an incident. A few low level villains, who had previously been designated Isle-ised, captured a member of the Guard and held him in a building not far from the harbour. We assume the plan had been to ransom him back to us, demand some favour. However, one of the VK gangs got wind and attempted to steal the hostage. The pirates succeeded in breaching the building and taking control of our man, but before they could escape Maleficent’s daughter intervened.”

“Meaning?” His father, in full King Beast mode, pressed from his desk. He looked rightfully concerned - there had been no acts of rebellion like this since before Ben’s birth. His mother stood by his father’s side. She’d paled as Javier spoke, and was pressing her fingers to her lips in an attempt to keep her emotions in check.

Javier let out a disgruntled sigh, “It means we can’t let that soldier step foot on the Isle again. Not when he owes a favour to a fairy. That girl knew what she was doing. The favour is worth more than the ransom.”

Ben looked between his parents and Javier, feeling like he was missing something. His father’s scowl deepened. His mother’s eyes grew more worried. “I don’t understand. Favours aren’t a binding currency anymore.”

He would know. No one was held to favours in Auradon. Even to fairies. Jane and Fairy Godmother were proof of that.

His father let out a breath and stood. Circling his desk, he placed a hand on Ben’s shoulder, “Not in Auradon. Before the founding, it was mostly cultural. Habit. Fairies and gods were the only beings who could make a favour hold and act if you didn’t hold up your end. On the Isle, everyone trades in favours. And if you don’t hold up your end, there are very real, non magical consequences. Unless you make a deal with Maleficent’s daughter.”

“Magic works on the Isle?” Ben tried to keep his face blank, his heart rate steady. If that was true. If she could somehow get around the barrier...maybe she could haunt his dreams. Spell him.

No one had said anything, but he knew she’d have purple hair.

“Only this kind. It’s blood magic. It’s in her veins. Quite literally.” Ben was surprised when it was his mother who answered. Ben could see the fear in his mother’s eyes that told him his parents had been expecting - fearing - this day for a while. Maybe since Auradon’s creation. Maybe since the girl’s birth.

“She’s one of a kind. This information is not public knowledge. It isn’t written down anywhere. Only your father and I, and the Head of the Guard know. She’s half fairy, half god. Her father is Hades.” Ben felt his blood run cold, remembering the god he’d met on a trip to Olympus years ago. Tall, brooding, hair on fire. “The entrance to the Underworld is on the Isle. Hades isn’t trapped there. He chooses to stay. We believe his daughter has inherited his resistance to the spells sealing the Isle, but we doubt Maleficent knows. She would have acted by now if she did.”

There was a long silence as Ben tried to digest the information that had just been dumped at his feet. Ignoring his sleep drama for now, it was clear this could be a problem for his Kinghood.

If Maleficent’s daughter was immune to the wards, she was not controllable. She could probably leave the Isle already - so he would need to assume she did. She had magic and she could use it. And it didn’t matter where she was.

She could track down his soldier no matter where they stationed him. She could pump him for information and he would be powerless to stop it. Breaking a fairy’s deal….well everyone knew the story of Sleeping Beauty.

“Let me see the footage from last night.” Ben decided, needing to see whatever happened - the reality - for himself. One of Fairy Godmother’s charms was a Big Brother spell. If needed, the King could see anyone and anything.

He was sick of the ‘the girl’ and ‘she’ and ‘Maleficent’s daughter’ lines. She was her own person with her own agency. There was no guarantee that she was a foregone conclusion. And the video would hopefully determine where her motivations lay.

His father nodded, and Javier quickly moved to pull out a mirror. Of course it was a mirror. Old school.

The King moved to stand in front of the mirror, and Ben moved in behind him. He hoped he could control his expressions if his fear was realised. If the girl from his dreams appeared before them. “Show me the girl, show me the favour.”

Smoke appeared within the glass, clouding the picture and hiding their reflections. And then, they were back in the alley from last night.

Except there was more fighting.

Ben tried to focus on what was happening, identify the main players, shut out the noise.

His girl’s friend was there. The blue armour was exactly as he’d dreamed last night. Blue tunic. Blue heeled boots. The braids. She was clearly proficient with a sword. It almost looked like she was dancing the way she gracefully twisted and turned and ducked every move.

She was duelling the man he’d seen pinned to the wall. Ben felt a little sick.

“That’s the Evil Queen’s daughter.” Javier supplied helpfully, but now that he recognised her, Ben was done with the depersonalisation.

“I assume they all have their own names?” He asked dryly, not taking his eyes from the screen. He knew he was right. And now he just needed to see her.

Javier frowned, clearly he’d never been asked that question before. “Evie. And that,” he added as the blonde haired boy swung into the frame from nowhere, “is Carlos DeVil. You’ll see what I meant about him in a moment.”

And he did. Carlos moved like a ghost. Ducking in and out of the action. Climbing for the best viewpoint before dropping on his opponents. They never looked up. Ambush was clearly his style.

Unlike the boy in the red and yellow armour. He was clearly a warrior. Jay, Javier had said. The skill and sheer strength was evident in the way he took on multiple opponents without breaking a sweat. He was enjoying himself.

For a moment, Ben was reminded of Lonnie. And then he remembered his dream of Lonnie and Jay sparring. He’d thought it was skilled and intense. But it was nothing compared to the battle on the screen.

“And this…is Mal.”

And there she was.

Ben swore he heard his heart screech to a stop. His girl was there. She was real. And she was on the Isle. Her fighting style was a mix between the two boys, she didn’t have the same grace as Evie, but it didn't matter.

She was skilled, she was quick, and she was clearly ruthless.

Ben watched as she made quick work of two pirates, and then she faced another girl who couldn’t be much younger than they were, her armour a bright turquoise. This sparring match lasted a little longer, but then she quickly overpowered her, relieved her of her sword, and threw the girl into a metal locker.

Ben didn’t catch the joke she made as she bumped the container with her hip, the mischievous look he loved returning to her face, if only for a moment. Then she was on the captured guard.

She crouched and quickly untied him, Evie moving to cover her back as she worked. Mal grabbed the guard by the shoulder, and this time her hissed ‘you owe me’ was broadcast clearly. Then she was dragging him down the alley, Evie in tow. Within moments, Carlos and Jay were defending the rear.

And then the mirror went dark.

Ben thought that was it, but the scene was merely shifting.

It seemed Mal had secured two favours that night.

This time, it was exactly as he’d remembered it from his dream.

Mal, with her back to him, pinning the instigator to the wall.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t relieve you of your head.” Mal growled, and Ben knew she was entirely sincere. “Make you match your master.”

This wasn’t the teasing he was familiar with. Or the light and airy laugh. This wasn’t even the declaration from the night before.

This wasn’t a threat of violence. It was a promise they both knew she was capable of fulfilling.

The man whimpered something and Mal sneered in response, pushing up with her forearm to cut off his air supply. Her victim gasped for air, trying to put up a fight but she was surprisingly immovable.

Ben felt sick.

Then she stopped.

She glanced to her right - the exact place Ben knew he’d stood in her dream. Something akin to confusion flashed through her eyes as she frowned.

Ben held his breath. Maybe she hadn’t spelled him. Maybe she was at the will of whatever this was too.

Mal turned her attention back to the man squirming under her arm, bored now. Snarling in disgust, she threw him to the ground. He reached up to hold his throat as she sheathed her blade. Aiming a kick at his ribs, she growled, “You owe me.”

And then she was gone.

This time, the mirror stayed black.

Ben kept staring at the mirror after his father turned back to the desk, asking a few more questions about the night before.

Ben wanted to be horrified. He wanted to object to the treatment of his guard. He wanted to look at her with a knife to someone’s throat and wonder what kind of person did that.

He didn’t. He was fairly certain he’d just fallen a little bit more in love instead.

He was horrified by the living conditions on the Isle. If that was an alley, then the streets couldn’t be much better. He was impressed by the skill the four had shown while saving one of his guards.

He could see she was a leader. That she controlled her territory with an iron first.

He was in awe of her. Everything he’d just witnessed scared the hell out of him. But he wanted to talk to her. Find out why she was like this. Figure out how to fix it.

He wanted everything he’d seen in his dreams.

The days by the lake. In his room in the castle. The drawing. The make out sessions in the woods. Pranking Fairy Godmother.

He’d watched her take down a man twice her size then assert her authority, and felt nothing but pride.

He knew what he had to do.

“What if we brought them here.”

The words were out of his mouth before he registered thinking them. But once he heard them, he knew they were the right thing. The right course of action. Turning to his parents, trying to keep his excitement under control but his drive clear, he repeated, “What if we brought them here.”

Javier instantly disapproved. His parents were slower to react. They knew him. Knew he wasn’t rash. That he put the Kingdom first. They gave him the benefit of the doubt.

But for once...Ben was acting off his own desires.

And now he had to sell it.

“If we remove Mal and her deputies, we destabilise the environment. Any rebellion will take a back seat to filling the gap she leaves and claiming her territory. And then there will be a period where whoever comes out on top has to enforce their right to remain in power. Six months to a year for the whole process to play out. Meanwhile, we look at rehabilitating the VKs. They aren’t their parents. They didn’t make the choice to be evil. We made that choice for them by making them grow up on the Isle. And if we can get those four to choose good,” he silently prayed they could, because he needed Mal to choose good, “there is definitely hope for the rest of the Isle. And we keep the guard from last night here, at that castle, and that way we’ll know if any favours are called in.”

There was a long beat of silence after his words. Ben was sure Javier’s head was about to explode. But his father was considering his words.

Eventually, his father nodded slowly. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he reached down to press his intercom. “Sheila? Get me Fairy Godmother in here.” Locking eyes with his son, he warned, “You got your mother’s compassion. And brains. So I’m trusting that you know what you’re doing.”

Ben just nodded, hoping he wasn’t about to unleash a reign of terror on his home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal does not approve of these dreams. Hades thinks she’s needs to learn to enjoy the ride.

“Something weird happened in that alley last night.” 

Hades was lounging on his sofa, feet in the air and hiding behind his sunglasses. Mal knew he was awake though. He’d been awake since the moment she entered the mineshaft. She stood near his head with her arms folded and hip cocked to the side. She glared at his boots, waiting for him to make a move. 

“You mean weirder than Maleficent’s daughter saving an Auradon Guard?” He didn’t move, still feigning sleep as he spoke. Mal rolled her eyes and pushed his feet off the edge onto the floor, meeting his glare with an innocent smile and a wave when he flicked his glasses down to stare at her. 

This was always how things were with her father. He acted uninterested and detached, but really he knew everything before she got home. She didn’t know if he had spies watching her - his demons Panic and Pain were sometimes spotted around the Isle - or if it was part of being a god. She learned as a teenager she couldn’t get anything past him. It was easier to assume he knew. Ask for forgiveness instead of permission. 

If she even asked.

They didn’t have a normal father-daughter relationship, especially by Isle standards. The norm was that the villains expected the child to remain loyal to one parent. Very rarely were there two parent families, or siblings with the same parent. 

Children were either a known risk of socialising - contraception wasn’t exactly readily available on the Isle - or a tactical decision. Villainesses picked no name sidekicks to act as sperm donors. Villains chose the women with the traits they valued most. 

Sometimes it was a business transaction. Sometimes it was an accident. Sometimes, there were real feelings involved. Rarely, but it happened. 

Like Mr Smee. His wife had supported the Queen of Hearts, and was part of her Council who truly believed her politics. How they ended up together, no one knew. But it had been a lovely wedding. 

Marriage was uncommon on the Isle too. 

Her father was proof of that. 

It had taken Mal years to work it all out. Her mother had never hidden who her father was, but she made sure Mal knew not to advertise it. VKs were loyal to one parent. She was the one who stuck around. She got the loyalty. And Mal didn’t need the deadbeat who didn’t want her. 

And then she was thirteen. Just turning from girl to woman, even if her head hadn’t caught up with her hormones. She was too busy claiming territory. Staking her claim on the Isle. 

She’d noticed it when some of the boys began to stare. She’d played on it. Just like EQ had taught them to. She’d ignored it when some of the older boys began noticing. She hadn’t noticed the men. 

One night, she and Evie had been returning from a supply run when they were cornered by two nameless sidekicks. They were hangers on to Gaston. No one important.

No named villain would make that kind of mistake. 

Mal and Evie had been ready to fight back. They’d noticed they were being followed. Knew the men were drunk. Knew what they were after. They’d been ready to entice the men in and slit their throats - just like mama said - when the alley burned blue. 

Mal had seen Hades around the Isle. It wasn’t exactly a big place. But she’d always avoided him. Glared if they made eye contact. 

She’d never seen him up close. Never been this close to his wrath.

She’d never seen his _hair_ _on fire._

He had been furious. Murderous. He’d flayed the men alive and summoned Panic and Pain to escort them to the Underworld personally.

_Keep them warm for me._

And then, while Evie and Mal stood in the alley in shock, he’d snapped his fingers and suddenly they were in the mineshaft. 

Where he proceeded to read them both the riot act, giving them a dressing down that would make Lady Tremaine blush. He was about two minutes into it before Mal began registering what he was saying.

_How could you be so stupid._

_They could have overpowered you._

_You could have been killed._

_This is why you travel with Jay at night._

He wasn’t telling them off for not killing the men faster. He was telling them off for putting themselves in danger. 

There had been a spectacular argument about ‘why did he care’. Evie had just stood there, wide eyed, watching the trainwreck.

But he’d started coming around after that. 

And then she realised, he’d been around a lot. When she thought back, he was always in the periphery. 

When she’d had her first real meet, he’d been in the tavern. 

Her first real fight, he’d been walking the streets afterwards. 

Like a big blue guardian angel who never really got involved.

She’d started an argument over that too. Stormed into his mineshaft one morning - obscenely early - and demanded why he kept appearing when he’d clearly never cared before.

_My attention would have made you softer._

And then it had all come out. Her parents hadn’t been in love, they’d been in lust. If her mother loved anything, it was his power. He’d married her anyway. When he’d found out she was pregnant, of course.

It wasn’t a big deal where he came from - his brothers had wives and kids all over the place. 

They'd been together before the creation of Auradon, if you used the term loosely enough. A casual arrangement. Fucking their way around the old kingdoms. She cursed towns and kingdoms and princes. He did his God of the Dead thing. There’d been a slight drama with his nephew, that her mom had only encouraged.

They’d been happy, at one point. Not that you’d know it now. 

In typical teenager fashion, Mal had stormed out in the face of logic.

But she’d stopped when he’d shouted after her. Asking her if she’d noticed the things she could do that her mother couldn’t. How sometimes things happened that she couldn’t explain. When it felt like magic, but it shouldn’t be possible when the barrier stopped it all.

When he’d asked if her mother was starting to fear her yet, she knew the days of having one parent were over.

Which was why, five years later, she could smile and wave at the most feared man on the Isle like it was nothing.

She supposed this was how kids in Auradon and Mount Olympus interacted with their parents. She didn’t say it out loud though. She wouldn’t know a healthy relationship if it hit her in the face. 

“If anyone thinks I’m going to pass up the chance to have favours in Auradon, they can suck my dick,” she scoffed as she wandered over to the record player, silencing Cerberus’ barks.

Sometimes she wished she could bring her father’s pet out of the Underworld. Just for a few hours. Some people would deserve the visit.

She would pay to see Cerberus eat her mother right now.

“And how did your mother take that?” Hades laughed, finally standing and engaging in the conversation. He knew his ex-wife would be livid. She’d never been good with the subtler aspects of politics.

 _“When I was your age, I was cursing entire kingdoms.”_ Mal rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air, mimicking Maleficent’s shrill cry effortlessly. Hades had to work to suppress the shudder, but Mal ignored him. Scoffing, she kicked a chair out of sheer frustration, “Yeah Mom, and I’m running an entire Isle, I think I’m good.” 

She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She wasn’t here to talk about her mother. They both knew nothing she did would gain her mother’s approval. Maleficent believed that by withholding approval, Mal would stay loyal. She’d keep dangling the carrot, feeding her breadcrumbs, knowing Mal would convince herself it was a cake. 

Shaking her head, she picked up a book from one of the side tables, flicking through the pages. 101 Ways to Cook Beef. Looks like he was planning a new menu for his store. “You wanna hear about my weirdness or not? I need to get back before Carlos and Jay wake up.”

“I’m all ears,” Hades opened his arms wide, gesturing to the empty sofa. She knew what he was doing. It was the one trait he hadn’t managed to break yet. She always needed to be standing. Always on alert. Mal rarely got comfortable when she had something on her mind. 

She was too used to her mother sweeping out of nowhere to leverage it.

“I had another dream. Before we got word of the captured guard. And it was nice and normal and lovely, like every other damn dream…” Mal couldn’t hide the irritation in her tone. She would never admit to anyone how much she’d come to look forward to those dreams.

The first time she’d dreamt of the boy, she’d thought nothing of it. She’d been ill. It was obviously a fever dream. Boys like that didn’t exist on the Isle. He was too perfect. Too nice. And she was never going to be anywhere that required floaty lilac sundresses. 

But then it happened again. 

After the fifth dream she had left the Isle - without telling her father - and gone to visit her Auntie Fates. The three witches had been expecting her. Of course. They’d waxed lyrically about prophecies and true love and binding strings and four hearts as one. 

It had made exactly zero sense.

So then she’d told Hades. Who had simply laughed and told her to enjoy the ride.

She did. She was. But she wasn’t going to tell him that.

“And then I freaked out and told him I didn’t belong in his world. Because I don’t, and these dreams are a distraction I don’t need.” Even Mal knew she didn’t sound angry. She sounded desperate. 

The dreams were under her skin now. They had her dreaming of a life she couldn’t have. Not without leaving her friends. Her home. Her power. She shook her head, glaring at a crack in the floorboards so she didn’t need to meet her father’s eye. “But then in the alley...it’s like he was there. I could just...feel this presence. And then when we went back to clean up and I was about to relieve that idiot of his vocal chords, I could have sworn he was right behind me.”

Hades laughed, and Mal threw him a look that would silence any other man on the Isle. Smirking at her expense, he shrugged, but Mal could see the excitement dancing behind his eyes. Her mother’s would glow green, her father’s sparkled silver. “Your dreams are converging. It’s a good sign.”

“Are you going to tell me who this guy is or do I have to guess?” Mal complained, finally flopping down on the sofa and crossing her arms. She knew he knew who the boy was. And she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of guessing.

“Even if you were right, I wouldn’t tell you.” Hades' smirk grew, and Mal resisted the urge to punch him. He’d see it coming, and she’d land on her ass. “Rules are rules, sweetheart.”

“Since when do you care about rules?” she scoffed, still glaring.

“Since I quite like the future Fate has in store for you and I would hate to ruin the surprise.” Mal was taken aback by the way he sounded so matter of fact. As if it was obvious. 

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow, and he shot her his million watt smile. Grinning, he reached out to ruffle her hair. She shrugged him off and pushed at him, but he just laughed.

“There is a difference between explaining and experiencing. I don’t want you to follow blindly because you think you have to. I want you to want it. How else can I be sure you’re happy?”

“You know sometimes I really don’t understand you.” Mal groaned, reaching up to smooth out her hair. She should have known he’d deflect, he hated talking about the prophecy. She suspects it’s because he didn’t know about it until after she was born, that her mother had played the long con. Fixing him with an exasperated look, she sighed, “Why can’t you just be evil and cruel and manipulative like other parents?”

“I feel like your mom has that angle covered.” Hades paused as he heard clanging and pointed to the mineshaft that led back to the surface, “We have company.”

“You wanted details on what went down last night,” Mal replied easily, her face blank. She knew the rules. No one knew he was her father. It was safer for her. 

“Good girl,” He kissed her head before he walked towards the mine shaft to greet his errand rat. Mal’s pretty sure Ceilia suspects something about how much time Mal spends in the lair. But she knows the girl’s guesses would be miles off. 

…

“Boss, you will not believe this.” Ceila began talking before she had fully entered the room. She slid to a stop near the top of the stairs, her eye’s widening slightly when she spotted Mal standing by the sofas looking bored. “Mal. Hi. You’re here too. That makes this easier.”

Mal just shrugged, keeping the bored mask in place. She liked Ceilia, but it wouldn’t be a good move to show favourites. The kid reminded her of what she and Evie had been like at thirteen. She was streetwise, smart and sassy. She was a grifter and a con artist. Except she’d always known her father loved her. Made sure she knew what she was worth and how to survive the Isle. 

“What won’t I believe?” Hades drawled, not bothering to look at Celia. He busied himself at his bookcase, searching for then pulling down one of his engineering books. It was a thick volume bound in leather, and Mal knew he wasn’t reading it. He had no need for it under the barrier. But Ceilia didn’t know that. 

“The barrier opened. Two guards I didn’t recognise came to my dad’s arcade and told me to tell you that you have a meeting at the Palace in twenty minutes. They said meet them at the usual spot. And bring Mal.”

Mal dropped the facade as her head snapped towards her father, the shock clear on her face. When she’d secured a favour in Auradon, she had expected them to react. To try and get her to call it in. Negotiate with her. She hadn’t expected them to send for her. And certainly not just mere hours after the event.

It was almost 5pm. It hadn’t even been twenty four hours.

Hades snapped the book shut and laughed, and all Mal could see was triumph. The grin he shot her was pure evil, and then his hair was alight, “Well, Mallie, you definitely have their attention now.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal didn’t really believe the boy from her dreams existed...until he was standing in front of her, offering her an escape route.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter bugged my happiness to degrees you cannot imagine...

Mal tried to keep her expression blank as she walked through the Palace.  _ Without shackles _ . 

Hades was cool and collected beside her. All business. Almost bored. Mal supposed this wasn’t new to him. He still had his day job. He still stole souls and ferried the dead to the Underworld and had a seat on the Council at Olympus. 

Mal was a leader. She ran the Isle - fairly well, all things considered. But she’d never played on this stage. Isle politics were clear. Easy. Second nature. 

And now she was heading to discussions with the King of Auradon. 

She finally had the power her mother craved. She had leverage. She could find a way to make life better for her friends. She ran through the list of demands she could make. Better supply chains. More freedom. Improved connectivity. Personal luxuries. 

If she’d known she’d get an invite to the Palace, she’d have secured a favour years ago.

Their escorts stopped at an imposing oak door, carved with the Royal Crest. This must be King Beast’s office. They knocked once, opening the double doors once given permission to enter. 

Mal was stuck by the extravagance of the room. Ornate tables and charges. Large overstuffed cushions. Suits of armour. Lamps that almost looked made of glass. Ornaments that certainly were. 

King Beast was standing behind his desk, his expression guarded. Mal knew the same look would be mirrored on her father’s. Queen Belle stood off to his right in a pale yellow dress. The Queen looked determined. Almost welcoming. Scared, but welcoming. 

There was a third person in the room, standing with his back to them at the fireplace. He turned as they entered, and suddenly Mal’s heart was in her throat. 

_ That sandy coloured hair.  _

_ That blue blazer. _

_ Those eyes. _

_ No, no, no. _

The boy from her dreams. 

He was real. 

He was  _ here _ . 

And, if she was reading the situation correctly, he was also Prince Benjamin. 

_ I don’t belong in your world, Ben. _

Of course.

_Of_ _course_ it was him.

Mal was kicking herself for not paying more attention to those tv shows EQ was addicted to. Every time there was a royal slant on the news, or a special, or an aired event, EQ commandeered the TV set. 

The last one Mal had suffered through was a year ago. The wedding of someone ninth or tenth in line to the throne. Evie had drooled over the outfits. Criticised the hats. Sketched non stop for weeks afterwards. 

Mal tried to remember if she’d noticed the Prince then, but she was coming up blank. If she tried, she vaguely remembered a blue military style outfit. Blue with cords. A crown. But that was it. No detail. No face. 

Nothing like the images playing out in her mind now. 

Every kiss. Every caress. Every laugh. 

She wondered if his abs were as solid in real life. 

“Welcome to Auradon,” King Beast smiled diplomatically, extending his hand to Hades. Mal expected her father to ignore the hand, but instead he took it. The two men engaged in some kind of staring contest, sizing each other up and refusing to let go first. 

“I’m Ben,” Mal hadn’t noticed him cross the room, she’d been paying too much attention to the power struggle between the King of the Living and the Lord of the Dead. And ignoring the boy she’d been dreaming of. 

She tried to control her expression when she realised how close he was. She thought she succeeded, quickly managing a non-threatening smile as she took his outstretched hand, “Mal.”

But when their skin touched, Mal felt the heat surge through her. It was like she’d touched a live wire. Her first instinct was to rip her hand away, but she saw the shock that flitted across Ben’s expression. He tampered it down quickly, regaining control in seconds. 

Mal had never backed down from a challenge. Ever. This would be no different.

“I’m Queen Belle. And this is my husband King Adam.” Belle stepped forward to take Mal’s hand. Her words snapped the men out of their now full blown glare off, right before the growls began. And if Mal was being honest, it snapped her and Ben out of their own world.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” King Beast - Adam? - said, and Mal almost thought he sounded genuine. Bonus points for diplomacy. “We appreciate what you did for our guard last night. And we’re happy to let you retain the favour and use as you wish. We just ask that you consider our proposals for moving forward.”

“Proposals?” Mal quirked an eyebrow, glancing between Ben and his father. This wasn’t what she’d expected. This seemed more...formal.

“For relations between the Isle and Auradon.” Ben clarified, meeting her eyes calmly. As if he hadn’t been starring in her dreams for the last six weeks. She felt trapped in his gaze - but not the way her mother did. Her mother had you cornered, like a mouse in a trap. Ben made her feel warm inside. She felt like she was on display. 

She felt like he liked what he saw. 

“There  _ are _ no relations between the Isle and Auradon. You made sure of that twenty years ago,” Mal stated simply, feigning disinterest. This was just another negotiation. Another meet. 

It just had much fancier settings. 

“And we’d like to change that,” Ben countered, gesturing to the sofas. The invitation was clear. Mal didn’t take it. 

Something flashed through Ben’s eyes - familiarity? Amusement? She wasn’t sure - and he threw her a pointed look. 

Mal didn’t know if she was confusing her dreams with reality, but she could almost hear the words he didn’t say. 

_ Stop being awkward. This isn't the Isle. Sit down. It’ll go better that way.  _

Her father stepped forward before she had to make a decision. So she fell into line beside him and perched on the edge of the sofa. Hades made himself comfortable, and they were quickly joined by Belle, Adam and Ben.

Somehow, Mal ended up across from Ben. She was pretty sure that was deliberate.

“So. Let’s cut to the interesting stuff,” Hades clapped his hands together, and Mal was sure the King looked relieved that he had made that declaration.

“We’d like to offer six children from the Isle the opportunity to spend the next semester in Auradon Prep. If they like it, they are welcome to stay on to complete their studies and stay on the mainland.” Ben began, his eyes never leaving Mal’s. It was as if he couldn’t look away. His eyes were soft. Inviting. Mal felt like he was trying to convince  _ her _ to stay, rather than offering them an escape route. 

Because that’s what this was. An escape route. 

Mal had never dared to dream of a scenario like this. Auradon didn’t negotiate with the Isle. They’d decided who was guilty and left them to rot. 

Mal’s best case scenario had been improving the living situation. Escape was a pipe dream she couldn’t afford. 

Kind of like what she’d told herself about Ben.

“We’d offer the opportunity to Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay, obviously. That’s why you’re here.” It took Mal a moment to realise Ben was still talking. That he wasn’t done yet. She forced herself to focus. To remain neutral. To be the leader the Isle needed. “But we’d also like to ask Dizzy, granddaughter of Lady Tremaine. You can choose the sixth, but we’d recommend someone her age.”

“Why Dizzy?” Mal frowned. On the one hand, she was thankful that Evie wouldn’t have to leave the girl she’d claimed as a little sister. But Dizzy wasn’t the obvious choice. If you wanted to sway the others, there were other VKs much higher up the pecking order.

“Cinderella and Anastasia have been trying to get Dizzy off the Isle for years.” Adam admitted, handing Mal a folder. She opened it slowly, glancing down at the proposal papers. She skimmed them, thankful that her mother had insisted she learn to read, and picked out the key points. New generation. Second chances. Avoid rebellion. Now  _ there _ was another pipe dream that would never work. No one was stupid enough to attempt rebellion. And she wouldn’t let anyone risk the future of the Isle like that. Adam continued as Mal read, his voice taking on a warm tone, “And if we want this to work, we need Cinderella on our side. She’s a PR machine after the years of custody battles.”

“If she’s such a machine why is Dizzy still there.” Mal muttered, suddenly thinking she should have filtered her thoughts. 

Those kinds of comments about major royals could get her sent back to the Isle before she got off it. 

But Ben was trying to hide a smile behind his hands, and the laughter was clear in his eyes. So maybe she was okay. For now.

“It never gets as far as the Council because Drizella blocks it. Lady T is in favour.” Mal was surprised when it was her father that answered. And then she remembered he was Mount Olympus’ representative to Auradon, and had a seat on that council too. Of course he was up to date. “Take Celia, with her gone I can return to the Underworld and no one will notice.”

Mal knew it wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order. One she had no issues following.

“She’ll want the right to visit her father.” But she did have to point out one major stumbling block with that plan. Otherwise, three months from now, Ceila would accidentally set the villains free while trying to get back in. Looking at some point over King Adam’s shoulder, she added, “He’s not...like my mom. He doesn’t hurt her.”

Mal knew she’d touched a nerve when Adam’s features darkened, and that she’d have no issues meeting any of her negotiation points. She tried not to focus on the way Ben clenched his fists. She didn’t want his pity. He didn’t know her. Just like she didn’t know him. 

Not  _ really.  _

“We can look into the logistics of it.” Adam nodded after a long moment. Mal knew that was the best she was going to get for now, but she could wear Ben down once they were in classes together. 

“The plan is,” Ben spoke suddenly, drawing the attention back to the file in Mal’s hand. It was a sudden shift, but it cleared the awkwardness that threatened to settle in the air, “If the first lot is a success, we work on bringing over more VKs. My end goal is that anyone who wants to get off the Isle, can.”

“Your goal?” Mal frowned, focusing on the boy across from her. She’d thought he was here because he would be attending school with her. She certainly didn’t expect him to have that kind of sway. Not yet anyway. And for that to be the end goal, something didn’t feel right. She wasn’t complaining, but it was like using a sledgehammer to crack open an acorn. She was all about the overkill. But she was from the Isle. 

Auradon didn’t grant kindness to the Isle freely. “That’s a very knee jerk reaction to me saving a guard.”

“We can’t keep living in the past,” was all he had to say.

It didn’t make Mal feel any less curious. 

She felt like she was playing some twisted game of spot the difference. Matching the qualities she’d seen in her dreams. And fleshing out the picture with things she was discovering.

She should not be this interested in a boy from Auradon. Her focus should be getting her friends off the Isle. And making things better for those who stayed. 

“There would also be some additional responsibilities we’d ask you to take on, such as taking a seat on the Council.”

Mal tried to keep the shock off her face when her head snapped to King Adam. She tried. Ben snickered. She wanted to whack him over the head. 

This was crazy. They were officially crazy. 

Twenty years of silence and isolation and now  _ she _ had a seat on the Council.

Her mother was going to be livid.  _ Livid. _ Mal might not survive the fallout.

Adam continued, ignoring her surprise and letting her rearrange her features, “As a leader on the Isle, you have authority and sway. We need you to ensure that everyone is on the same page and using the opportunity as intended.”

_ Read: Make sure Jay doesn’t go on a looting spree, don’t let Carlos near the kitchens and for the love of god don’t let Evie sexually harass every prince on campus. _

All valid points. She nodded once.

“With regard to the Council, your father already has a seat for Olympus. But we wouldn’t ask you to join the formal meetings until you’re settled. Any material can be run through by Ben while at school.”

_ Read: We don’t want to cause too much of a stir just yet. _

She nodded again. 

That approach suited her. If the price for freedom was diplomatic duties...how hard could it be. 

“Okay.” Mal agreed, holding out her hand for a pen. She had reached the end of the paperwork. Everything she’d planned to negotiate for was already there - improved supply chain, safe houses for kids, active engagement from Auradon - she really did have no need to cash in the favour. Yet.

It was no surprise that Ben offered her a pen from nowhere. He’d always seemed like the overly prepared kind. Scribbling the addition to explore visitation rights, she scrawled her signature at the bottom of the page.

Signing the paperwork before they could change their minds.

She felt the heat flow through her veins as the contract became binding. She saw Ben shift uncomfortably at the sensation and smirked. Adam didn’t flinch. He was probably used to it - this would happen every time her father signed legislation.

She passed the file to her father to witness - he had no need to read it, she knew he’d skimmed over her shoulder and would have stopped her if there was anything untoward. While he was completing his sections, she took the opportunity to study the prince opposite her.

Her dreams really had been accurate. 

There was no way she could have imagined the way his hair had the odd curl at the end. Or the muscles she could see hinted at under the blazer - tourney did require a lot of upper body strength.

He looked...kind. 

She kind of liked it.

He looked like he was trying to work her out too. And doing a better job of hiding it.

Mal frowned, tilting her head as she deliberately became more overt in her observation.

Ben noticed. Of course he did.

In another world - the one she dreamed of - she’d play with him a little. Throw him glances full of promise and find excuses to touch him. 

But this wasn’t her dreams.

And in this world, the only boy she flirted with was Harry Hook.

And  _ that _ particular situation was not playful. It was more frantic make out sessions against the nearest flat surface whenever one of them wanted to piss off Uma.

It was transactional. Isolated.

Ben probably couldn’t do casual if he tried.

“You’re just trusting that we won’t try to leverage getting off the Isle? Or that my mother won’t come up with some hair brained idea for us to carry out?” Mal wasn’t sure where the words came from. The paperwork was signed, and with her bloodline, the contract was binding.

It was too late to change. 

The perfect time to point out the flaws.

Ben just shrugged, as if that concept didn’t bother him. Mal saw King Adam’s mouth press into a firm line. They  _ had _ talked about this. 

And daddy dearest didn’t agree with Ben’s assessment.

“We fully expect Maleficent to instruct you to do something. Probably steal Fairy Godmother’s wand. But if this is going to work we need to be open and honest.” Mal resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Ben’s words. He really believed them. Poor boy. “So we will be watching, and you’ll be fully supported in the transition, just like we would any other transfer student. Fairy Godmother is already working on a tailored timetable to address any gaps.” 

Mal froze. Ben grinned.

She felt her father’s amusement and his stifled laughter.

_ Of course _ there would be educational gaps.

Jesus, she was going to have to start studying.

Maybe Auradon could be worse than the Isle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That’s the thing about villains...they have zero impulse control. VKs are marginally better. 
> 
> Marginally.

“Are they seriously letting the future King of Auradon roam the castle unattended with a Villian Kid?” Mal wondered as they descended the main stairs inside Beast Castle. A few servants glanced her way, but no one paid her much attention. Why would they? She was anonymous here. 

Just another daughter of a powerful man, having a meeting with King Adam and being given a tour by Prince Ben. 

She didn't know what she expected when it came to Auradon’s royal family - more guards? More pretentious? More like the stories her mother told about King Stefan?

It wasn’t  _ this _ .

It wasn’t  _ Ben _ .

“Well they aren’t happy about it.” Ben chuckled, chancing a glance her way. She noticed he’d done that a lot during their meeting. Or he smiled at her almost unconsciously. It was...not odd. That feeling she’d experienced in her dreams, she recognised it here. Ben just gave off this vibe of...safety? She thinks that’s what it is. And it was making it harder to keep her walls intact. “But when you join Auradon Prep you’ll be unsupervised. And I don’t have a bodyguard at school. So open and honest and trusting might as well start now.”

Open and honest. They seemed to be his buzzwords. 

And they were concepts she hadn’t even tried to wrap her head around yet.

“And you’re expecting that from me?” Mal threw him a skeptical look, making it clear she thought he was crazy. She somehow knew he wouldn’t revoke the offer on the table - he couldn’t - but her inbuilt desire to test boundaries wasn’t something she could just turn off. 

“Not yet. I know it’ll take time to realise this isn’t like the Isle.” Ben shrugged easily, as if he had no issues with the fact that she would lie to and hide things from him. Like he just accepted it and continued on as planned. Surely, he could not be this naive. Or optimistic. “I  _ am _ expecting you to be a relatively level headed and rational leader. I want you to be part of the solution for our two worlds.”

“No pressure there then.” Mal muttered, heading over to one of the windows. She had been in Auradon a few times. Olympus a few more. But she’d never been into the city. Never been anywhere real. 

It was always to train. Always to test her powers. To get her used to a world outside the Isle. 

The barrier left everything under it with an almost grey tinge. It had never been more obvious than now, as Mal looked out across the sprawling lawns that were bursting with colour. It was so...pretty. She wanted to hate it. 

Instead, she recognised it.

Although she doubts today is the day she walks around the edge of the fountain in high heels before Ben pushes her in.

She hated herself for wanting it.

It was a life she couldn’t have. Didn’t know the first thing about getting either.

“Let’s start with the grounds. Make the most of the late afternoon sun.”

_ Let’s not. I have too many dreams that I kind of want to compare with reality.  _

Instead she threw him a bored look and responded with a monotone, “I hate afternoons. And sunlight.”

Ben laughed and shook his head, as if he wasn’t surprised by that answer at all. “You’ll get used to them.”

…

“So the gardens were originally built in the 1800s, and there have been various landscape designers over the years. The most recent one was about nineteen years ago and was based around Auradon’s future as a flourishing nation and world power.”

“What I took from that is...you don’t realise there’s nothing green on the Isle.”

Ben stopped short, glancing at Mal in surprise. She didn’t know why. She knew about the Big Brother spell. She knew he’d have watched at least part of the fight with Uma. Surely he didn’t think they had rolling hills and green stuff?

Villains couldn't have nice things. 

Something unreadable passed over his expression, before he pushed it down and smiled at her, “Overkill?”

He looked so normal. The look he was throwing her was more than a little loaded, like he was enjoying the challenge. So Mal did what she did best, she stepped it up a gear. As if she was dealing with Harry Hook in front of Uma, she returned a teasing smirk, an invitation, “Little bit.”

“So much for first impressions.” Ben laughed easily, but Mal was sure he was hiding so much more behind that smile. 

So much more he wanted to say.

Or was she just projecting?

“Want to see the extent of my magic tricks?” Ben turned his attention to the statue in the middle of the fountain, and inclined his head in a ‘watch this’ motion. Mal quirked an eyebrow, recognising the statue as King Adam. Ben clapped, and the statue morphed. It became bigger, the man replaced by the Beast. Interesting. “My father wants all his statues to morph from beast to man, to prove anything is possible. That growth is possible. But only the royal family and Fairy Godmother can do the clap thing. The rest of it’s done on a timer.”

Mal studied the statue carefully, well aware of the meaning behind Ben’s words. He was good at this. But she wasn’t letting him know that. Instead she crossed her arms and forced herself to seem disinterested. After a moment, she mused, “He shed much?”

“Yeah, Mom won’t let him on the couch.” Ben’s deadpan response was instant. This time, Mal couldn’t stop the smile as it curled up the corners of her mouth. 

That one was funny. She’d give him that.

Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

...

They continued their tour around the castle in easy companionship. There was some small talk, Mal pointed out differences between Auradon and the Isle, Ben talked about the opportunities she and her friends would have once they joined the school. There was a lot of flirting. Ben tried not to feel like a sleaze. Like he was abusing his power. Mal started it more often than he did. Between the glances and the glint in her eyes as she teased him, Ben knew he was a goner. 

After going through the standard protocols for major changes in policy, he knew he wasn’t under the influence of any spells. She hadn’t been planting the dreams as a way to entice him into letting her off the Isle. He’d seen her shock when she’d noticed him in his father’s office. Maybe she was as clueless as he was. 

But that didn’t mean her behaviour right now was genuine. Ben’s preparation for Kinghood was thorough - there had been classes on how to behave if spelled (don’t fight the spell, get to the Enchanted Lake), classes on how to elegantly deal with girls who only want to hook a prince, spotting when someone was only involved because they wanted something. It wasn’t a stretch to consider that Mal might think their residency in Auradon was guaranteed if she got involved with him, or that he was looking for a mutually beneficial arrangement on getting the other kids off the Isle.

There was so much to work through, especially when he felt like he already knew her. 

They were on the steps into the kitchens now. Ben had let her go first, and he wished he could say he was just being gentlemanly. He wasn’t. From this position, he could admire her without obstruction. Without worrying about her catching -

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

Ben was caught off guard when Mal spun to face him. One minute he was looking at the way her armour clung to her slight frame, trying to work out how it could be so fitted and still be practical, the next he was almost crashing into her.

Mal was a step ahead of him, bringing her closer to his eye level. Which meant she noticed where his gaze had been before he’d quickly moved to meet her eyes.

“Like what?” Ben aimed for casual, but he had a feeling he’d overshot by about a mile, judging by the way he could  _ feel _ the eye roll she didn’t make. 

Instead she kept her face blank, unreadable. He could see a glimmer of something in her eyes, but it was gone the moment it appeared. Then after a beat, her eyes turned questioning. 

Ben wondered when she learnt to mask her emotions so well. When she realised she needed to be so careful about what she let others see. He’d met foreign dignitaries who would kill for her poker face. 

She’d let absolutely nothing away during their earlier meeting, save for the initial shock. He couldn’t say he’d been the same.

_ Open and honest, _ he reminded himself,  _ you can’t expect them to trust you if you lie.  _

“Honestly? I feel like I know you.”

He expected her to close down at his words, but instead she tilted her head, and the smirk he’d come to look forward to every night was being shot at him in real life. Ben wasn’t prepared for the way his stomach flipped and the breath caught in his throat. He knows the stories. He’s pretty sure this is how his dad felt that night in the ballroom. 

And if he didn’t... _ damn. _

The smirk. The head tilt. The slight lift of her shoulder. He could almost hear a smile as she mused, “Once upon a dream, right?”

“Something like that,” Ben agreed with a laugh. He was gone. So totally gone for this girl. 

They held each other’s gaze for a long moment, the air heavy between them. While Ben was trying to work out if it was his imagination, or if they were really leaning in, Mal broke the moment.

“I’m going to be really disappointed if you don’t kiss me like yest-”

Ben wished he could say he was a gentleman. That it was simple, and sweet, and careful. That it was a fairytale first kiss. 

It wasn’t.

He wasn’t sure if she’d been granting permission or challenging him. Either way, the moment she’d made her wishes clear, his hands were in her hair. He crashed his lips to hers, and the moment their lips touched there was no going back. Heat shot through his veins, he wouldn’t be surprised if anyone looking saw electricity crackling between them. Mal’s hands went straight under his blazer, fisting in the back of his shirt as she pulled him closer. 

If he’d been capable of coherent thought, he’d have thought to check she didn’t go for his wallet.

It was much later when he realised she hadn’t.

Instead, he somehow ended up with Mal backed against the wall. And he knew that had only happened because she let him. Their kisses were still fiery - he supposed that was what happened when your mother was a dragon and your father’s hair caught fire - they were still battling for dominance. 

It was like his Beast recognised the Dragon. And it wanted to play. 

Mal had been the one to turn, pulling him back against the wall of the castle. He’d been happy to oblige, covering her body with his and pressing her into the cool stone. His hands had made their way to her waist, while hers had wound around his neck, pulling at the hair she found there.

When she bit his lower lip, he couldn’t help the growl that slipped out. Far from putting her off, she’d rolled her hips into his in response. 

A crash from the kitchen brought them back to their senses. They both turned to look at the open doorway, but it seemed like the noise had definitely come from inside. Judging by Mrs Potts’ shouts, one of the kitchen staff had knocked over a stand of pans. 

Still breathing heavily, Ben turned back to Mal. The guarded look was back, but he thought he saw her trying to tamper down a glimmer of hope. Reaching up to cup her cheek, he stroked his thumb over the skin as he rested his forehead against hers. “Safe to say, it’s never been like that before.”

Mal let out a shaky breath, but tightened her hold around his neck. “We don’t exactly date much on the Isle. It’s more like...gang activity.”

She let out a laugh - this one sounded genuine - and he felt her relax slightly into his hold. It was a baby step, but he’d take it. 

And he also had to make one thing perfectly clear.

“I’ve been working on bringing kids over from the Isle since I was sixteen.” He admitted, prepared for her to go rigid beneath him. Instead, she pulled her head back slightly so that she could tilt her head and throw him a questioning look. Before she could speak, he continued, “I just want to make it clear that I don’t expect anything from you to make this happen. I’m getting kids off the Isle irrespective of where this...thing...goes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She eventually said, after searching his face for any sign of a lie. She didn't show any sign of trying to move out of his arms, and Ben hoped that was a good sign. 

Another crash echoed from the kitchen, and Ben reluctantly stepped away from Mal before someone finally came outside and spotted them.

The media already had wind of the fact change in policy protocols had been actioned. The last thing he needed was a maid selling her story, telling the tabloids about how Prince Benjamin was seen kissing a girl who was  _ not _ Princess Audrey in the castle grounds.

“We should probably…” he tried weakly, gesturing in the direction of a third crash. Seriously, Mrs Potts was going to have a fit.

“Yeah.” Mal agreed, stepping into pace beside him. She stood a little closer to him this time, even though she didn’t talk.

And then they were in the kitchens, and Ben was pretty sure Mal couldn’t talk. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mrs Potts embraces the shades of grey. And loves feeding the waifs and strays.

Mrs Potts had gone on another baking spree. Cakes and breads lined every counter, to the point where Ben began to wonder if he’d forgotten some important event. The source of the noise was the overflowing sink in the far corner, where a poor kitchen boy was attempting to wash dishes without creating more carnage.

Ben glanced at Mal, and his stomach dropped - not in the good way - when he saw the look on her face. There was a mixture of shock, wonder and hurt. He realised taking her through the kitchens was probably one of the most insensitive things he could have done. 

He didn’t know what the food situation was like on the Isle. But after watching the footage from that morning, he suspected it wasn’t great. She’d probably never seen this much food before in her life. He wondered how often she’d gone hungry. How often she’d wondered where her next meal would come from. And then he felt ill.

Before Ben could speak, before he could suggest that she take some of the food with her, Mrs Potts appeared from nowhere and rushed towards Mal. “Oh there you are my dear, I was hoping Ben would bring you by the kitchens, I couldn’t possibly let you leave without giving you some snacks to take back home with you.”

Mal opened her mouth, but no words came out. She looked at Ben, the wonder shifting into confusion and a cry for help. She raised a hand, maybe to aid her words, but instead Mrs Potts dropped a picnic basket in her arms and began to fill it. Mal shot Ben another look, her brows furrowed and her question clear.

_ What’s going on here? Why isn’t she screaming in terror? Help me? _

“This is Mrs Potts.” Ben supplied, trying to hold back a laugh as he watched the basket fill. Freshly baked rolls. Filled sandwiches. Cupcakes. Granola bars. Fruit. No apples though. “She’s a feeder. Mrs Potts, you know they’re coming back tomorrow, don’t you?”

That was the plan. Mal and Hades would return to the Isle tonight - Ben didn’t like that part in the slightest - and tomorrow royal messengers would deliver the invites to the Mal, Evie, Jay, Carlos, Dizzy and Ceilia. They’d have three hours to pack, and then they’d return to Auradon. 

They’d then be put up in the castle until Sunday, when they’d be taken to Auradon Prep and shown their dorms. The days between Wednesday and Sunday would be spent preparing. Before getting to school, there would need to be a crash course in how schooling worked in Auradon. Arranging clothes and uniforms and books. Introducing Dizzy to her aunts and cousins. 

Ben and his father would make the Executive Order on Wednesday afternoon. Once the VKs were in Auradon. They were banking in the media assuming the barrier had been opened to put someone in, if they noticed at all.

“Of course I do dear, but there are six of them to feed and I am not scrimping on the details when I have new guests to impress.” Mrs Potts returned her attention to Mal, whose eyes were growing larger by the second, “Now I don’t know what you all like, so I made a bit of everything. And tomorrow night we’ll do a proper dinner for your first night in the castle. I’m so proud of Ben for implementing his changes before his coronation, if anyone knows the value of second chances it’s us lot. I know a lot of people will be rather nasty about this whole thing and you must be so worried, but we completely support you trying to bridge the gap between good and evil. No one embraces the shades of grey anymore. Oh, now there’s an idea, I’ll make the grey stuff for dessert tomorrow. You’ll love it.”

It took another twenty minutes to escape Mrs Potts. Mal’s stomach had growled, and although she’d tried to play it down, Mrs Potts had grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her to one of the bench tables in the middle of the kitchen. The picnic basket was taken from her hands and plopped on the table next to her, before they were both handed a plate of sandwiches, finger foods and jelly donuts. 

Mal managed to keep her composure until she tried the jelly donut. Her eyes widened in shock and she abandoned all pretence of normality to devour it. Ben had smiled and passed her another, mentioning that the raspberry was his favourite.

After she’d devoured her third donut - trying strawberry, raspberry and blueberry fillings - Ben turned to face Mal and straddled the bench. He wanted to reach out and wipe the sugar from her lips, but he was pretty sure that was overstepping now they had an audience. He could tell Mal noticed the way his gaze lingered on her lips when she threw him a look at was nothing short of a dare. 

Then she tilted her head and smirked, making the challenge clear. 

She was going to be the death of him. 

He didn’t spare a glance to see who was in the kitchen, he knew they’d all be watching. But that knowledge didn’t stop him from reaching up to brush the crumbs away. This time, she leaned into his touch without hesitation.

“Things are worse on the Isle than I think, aren’t they?” Ben didn’t know where the words came from, but he knew he’d have to ask. He’d find out eventually, assuming her friends opened up to the prospect of Auradon, but right now he needed to hear it from her. 

Mal answered him with her eyes before she spoke. For some reason, he could see pity there. For what, he didn’t understand. Then her eyes softened, and she raised a shoulder in a half shrug. She scrunched her mouth into a line before she answered carefully, “The Isle is my normal. I don’t know another way of life. Just because I can leave the island...it doesn’t mean I did. Dad only brought me to Auradon so that I could handle crowds and train. I’ve been to Mount Olympus a couple of times. Mostly it’s the Underworld. We do a lot better than other kids on the Isle. It’s not jelly donuts and fresh fruit, but I’ve made sure we never starved.”

“I can’t leave it until I’m crowned King to do something about all the kids trapped there.” Ben admitted, unsure of what he could realistically achieve in the next three years. But he couldn’t do nothing. “Even with getting the six of you over, I could look at the supply chain. Something to make it easier while I work on public opinion.”

Mal didn’t say anything in response, she just watched him carefully. He’d let his hand fall, and now it rested on the wood between them. Somehow, they’d ended up facing each other with their knees touching. Like they needed the contact.

Ben was about to suggest heading back to the office when Mal suddenly cut him off.

“I didn’t do what I did outside because I thought it would sway you.” She looked over his shoulder as she spoke, focusing on the way the kitchen hands were preparing dinner. “I mean, open and honest, duping the prince did cross my mind. Or using it as leverage. But that’s not why I said it. I wanted to see if it lived up to the dreams.”

Then she met his gaze, and he swore he could see vibrant gold flecks dancing amongst the green. “Unfortunately for you, it surpassed them and I’m probably going to want to do it again.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal wears so many masks, Maleficent thinks they’re real...

“You four are home early.” Maleficent mused when Mal dropped onto the sofa next to EQ. The news channel was on. It was some kind of discussion panel, and for once Mal paid attention to the screen. 

“King Beast called a press conference this afternoon. The rumour is they’re announcing his son’s engagement.” For a villain, EQ was quite the royal watcher. She critiqued everything. Threw popcorn at the screen. But she was still a loyal viewer. “Another is it’s a surprise baby. Belle’s only 38, so it’s not impossible.”

“Aren’t those the kind of things they announce in the Rose Garden?” Mal asked, feigning interest, avoiding eye contact with her mother. 

EQ took the bait. 

“Of course!” she exclaimed, gesturing at the screen. Evie covered a laugh with her hand, while Jay and Carlos rolled their eyes from the large table in the middle of the room. “That’s exactly what Esmarelda was saying. She thinks it’s an announcement regarding Prince Ben’s investiture, because it’s at the school.”

Maleficent’s lair was the de facto base for their parents. Jafar had his store. Cruella had her crumbling mansion. EQ didn’t bother pretending she lived elsewhere. They all ended up here. Every day. For all their bitching and whining about each other, their parents had become incredibly co-dependent over the years. 

They were just as evil, and even more unhinged, than they had been twenty years ago. But incredibly co-dependent. They ate together. Parented together. Plotted revenge together. 

It was one big dysfunctional family. 

“Don’t ignore my question, missy.” Maleficent was in Mal’s face, snapping her fingers as she blocked EQ’s view of the TV. 

The moment Mal looked up - she had to look up, had to meet her mother’s challenge - her eyes glowed green and Mal was trapped. She felt the icy tendrils wrap around her soul, crushing it as it tightened around her. Mal pushed back, like she always did. And like always, her mother gripped harder.

“Jesus, Mom.” Mal muttered, finally breaking the gaze. She wanted to feel shame over breaking, for not lasting longer. But she couldn’t muster it today. The resistance was for show. This whole thing was for show. “It was a slow night after the incident with the guard. Figured we might as well hang here.”

“Hmm.” Maleficent looked like she was about to say something else when there was a loud knock on the external door. 

Carlos jumped, turning towards the noise. Evie didn’t bother looking up from her sketchbook. Jay was the one who rolled his eyes and headed towards the doors.

Mal suddenly couldn’t breathe. She felt sick.

They were early. They were here. She was really about to leave the Isle and she needed to keep her poker face in place until they were free. 

Keeping her gaze fixed on the screen, she forced herself to avoid looking at the door until she heard Jay mutter, “What the hell?”

_ “We come bearing summons from the King of Auradon.” _

_ “What!”  _

Evie was on her feet in a heartbeat, her sketchbook falling to the floor as her mother screeched. She looked from the soldiers barging into the room, to Mal, to her mother. She backed towards the wall, grabbing her backpack on the way past. She threw a longing glance at her book, before she started searching for the best exit. 

Carlos was already in the rafters, watching the scene play out from above. Mal could see him evaluating the soldiers, determining the best move to make.

This was what she wanted, she reminded herself as she strode towards Javier, she wanted authentic responses. She just hoped she could get this under control before someone started throwing punches.

“What the hell do you want?” She snarled at the Head of the Guard, as if she hadn’t met him the day before. They hadn’t exactly had a pleasant conversation. She was sarcastic. He clearly hated the idea of VKs in Auradon. 

“Looks like you got the Palace’s attention,  _ Princess _ .” Javier spat the word like it was an insult. Mal knew this wasn’t an act. She could see the vein bulging near his temple. The disgust in his gaze, now that the royal family weren’t present. 

Mal grinned, throwing fuel on the fire. He’d learn to fear her. “Maybe if your guards were better trained, they wouldn’t need VKs to save their ass.”

“You’ve been summoned to finish the semester at Auradon Prep. It’s not a  _ request.”  _ He thrust the scroll into her hands before turning on his heel. As he stormed out, he threw over his shoulder, “You have an hour. The daughters of Drizella and Dr Facillier will be joining you. Don’t be late.”

There was a beat of silence after the door slammed, the Maleficent let out a victorious cackle. Mal made a show of opening the scroll and reading the invitation.

She already knew what it said, but seeing the words made it real. They were leaving the Isle.

_ Prince Benjamin would like to invite you to complete the semester at Auradon Prep. _

She couldn’t bring herself to care that Javier had changed the timeline on them.

“Seems like Auradon has decided to keep its enemies closer,” Maleficent purred, on a roll now, sprinting towards the safe with manic glee. Mal had seen that look before. It never meant anything good. “Queenie! Get my spellbook. You four have a very important job to do…”

…

“You knew?” Jay demanded, as soon as they were alone, well, as alone as they could be in a limo. Carlos, Dizzy and Celia were too busy tearing into the sweets to notice much else. Evie was fixing her appearance in the reflection of the tinted windows. 

Mal’s words from the night before hung heavy between them. It was the first time she’d kept them out of the loop like this.

Well, excluding her little step through the barrier trick. 

And the dreams.

_ “So what’s the plan for tonight, M?” _

_ “Nothing. We lay low. Update your go bags. Anything you wouldn’t want to leave for someone to take, pack it. But pack light. Two bags at most.” _

_ “You know something?” _

_ “I got a tip off. We need to be ready to move at short notice.” _

_ “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the Auradon Guards spotted at Dr Facillier’s arcade this afternoon would it?” _

_ “Rumour is they were looking for Hades. We’re good. Just enjoy the night off.” _

“Where did you think the food came from?” Mal admitted, reaching for a jelly donut. 

She had been surprised that she hadn’t been questioned more when she’d turned up with a picnic basket, blamed the Guard playing nice and told them to stand down. Her father had arranged for Dizzy and Ceilia to receive anonymous packages. Maybe they had anticipated something was brewing. Or maybe they had no expectations for how the Guard would react to a favour. “Turns out Prince Ben is pretty invested in getting the kids off the Isle. King Beast is worried about rebellion, so he’s willing to try something new.”

“Prince Benjamin,” Evie sighed, turning to join the conversation. Her eyes glazed over as she imagined the luxuries that came with being next in line to the throne, “I wonder how many castles he has.”

“E,” Mal warned, fixing her best friend with a look over her jelly donut, “You can have any prince but that one.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinderella would like it noted she suggested this years ago.

“Dizzy better be on that list.”

Adam was barely off the stage before he was confronted by his wife’s best friend. Cinderella had changed little since they’d first met twenty years ago - a little older, more laughter lines, and in her case, a lot wiser. She was a force of nature nowadays. 

Back in the early days, Cindy and Belle had bonded over being thrust into royal life. Over trying to find their place in the world next to their powerful husbands - not ready to stand in the shadows and look pretty, but ready to redefine what a queen should be.

Belle and Cindy chose to focus on charity work. Snow White had decided she wanted a career, handing the day to day control of her kingdom over to Florian. Aurora was an active ruler, demanding equal standing to Phillip when their kingdoms joined.

Cindy could call him out where the other royals of the member kingdoms couldn’t. She was Ben’s godmother. She and Belle got drunk together every few months and kicked him out of his suite so they could snuggle and watch movies. She was the one to support them through Maurice’s death. 

She could - and did - call him on his shit. 

Standing there in her light blue sundress and pearls, glaring at him as if she was ready to channel her stepmother, Cindy was in full ass-kicking mode.

Which was the last thing he expected after the press conference. 

“Cindy? What are you doing here?” Adam looked around, spotting Charming across the field with Chad, both watching apprehensively. Charming caught his eye, something like pity in the look he threw his friend. 

Cinderella scoffed, rolling her eyes as she folded her arms. She shifted her weight to one hip, perfectly conveying her displeasure in that one move. He was definitely in trouble. “The King of Auradon announces an impromptu press conference at the school on less than twenty four hours notice. That’s going to bring the tiger moms out.”

“You’re deflecting,” she trapped him in a gaze that Adam always thought wouldn’t be out of place on the Isle. Cindy was a poster child for goodness. But since becoming a mother, she’d found a protective streak that could only come from someone with her childhood. “I swear Adam, if Dizzy isn’t on that list _ I will make your life a living hell.” _

She would. He did not doubt that.

Ten years ago, Cinderella and Anastasia had received letters from their mother, smuggled off the Isle somehow. 

Lady Tremaine didn’t apologise for her behaviour, but she acknowledged that she had made mistakes - and the royal psychologist who read the letter believed the words were genuine. Drizella had had a child. Lady Tremaine did not want her granddaughter to grow up on the Isle. She could see the child would be good. She could see similarities to Anastasia as a child, before her mother’s greed had influenced her. The child would be weak in the eyes of Maleficent. She’d never reach her potential. 

She’d begged Cinderella and Anastasia to take custody of the child. Said she would take the steps she could to protect the girl herself, aligning herself with the Evil Queen - she would never align with ‘that demented fairy’ - but the girl’s best chance at thriving was in Auradon.

Cinderella and Anastasia had petitioned for years, to no avail. 

Florian, Snow, Rapunzel and Flynn supported the move. Aladdin and Jasmine believed in second chances. Phillip and Aurora were dead set against it. The others refused to commit. The silent majority. 

It would have been a problem if they could get as far as the Grand Council - the second highest power in the land, the body made up by the heads of each member state and a number of special advisors - because Drizella always blocked the application.

Adam was glad he’d never been in the position where he’d had to choose his vote.

“That’s not what I meant. What are you doing  _ here _ , here?” Cinderella frowned at his words, and Adam could see the hope she was trying to smother. Leaning in, he added, “You’re supposed to be at the Palace. Dizzy got here two hours ago.”

Cinderella froze. Adam knew the explosion was coming. Charming could see it from across the field, because he shook his head at Adam as if to say ‘you asked for it’.

“My niece is in Auradon and no one bothered to tell me?” she hissed, her eyes narrowing dangerously. 

“Cindy. Not there.” Adam looked around for somewhere private, knowing this was not a conversation that should be held where others could overhear. Catching Cogsworth’s eye, Adam inclined his head in the direction of the royal car. Taking Cinderella’s arm, he led her off the field as he muttered, “You were supposed to be briefed by the Guard last night. I’ll deal with it. Javier has dropped the ball too many times today.” 

Once they were inside, Adam steeled himself for the onslaught. He’d expected her anger - he could have done this years ago - but he’d hoped she’d have been calmed by seeing Dizzy first.

“How did you get this through without informing the Council?”

That wasn’t where he’d expected her to start, but this he could work with. Shrugging, he admitted, “I went around them.”

As High King, that was within his gift. He could make an Executive Order that - assuming it passed the internal legislation checks - could be actioned in hours. Unlike a General Proclamation.

It meant that he could act quickly, reactively, and in the best interest of Auradon. It meant he could bypass any stalemates in the Council. 

He’d never used that power before. Had never had to.

“You went aro-” Cinderella’s shock was evident, tinged with more than a little disbelief. She’d never thought of an Executive Order. And she was kicking herself for it, “I’ve been trying for  _ ten years _ to get Dizzy off that goddamn island an-”

She stopped short, her anger turning to confusion. She studied him for a long moment, not as her High King, but as her friend. He knew she saw the signs of stress, the signs he wasn’t sleeping. The way his job was sitting just a little heavier on his shoulders, “What the hell is going on, Adam?”

He took a deep breath, glancing out the windows to where he could see Ben fielding angry classmates. He should be out there, helping manage public opinion. But he had other duties too. And Ben needed to do this part himself. 

Work out what kind of King he wanted to be.  _ Really  _ wanted to be. Not the high level planning he’d been playing at. 

If he wanted this, wanted the girl, he needed to learn how to stand by his choices.

A King always did what he thought was right, no matter how hard it was. 

And performing a u-turn on twenty years of policy was not easy. 

“Maleficent’s daughter turned eighteen eight weeks ago.”

Cinderella continued to look at him evenly, folding her arms defensively, “I’m aware. I  _ was _ at the Council meeting.”

The crisis meeting. 

The sword had been hanging over their heads for years, and now it was inching closer.

“Maleficent is preparing, inciting a rebellion. I didn’t have confirmation until this morning, but she was behind the attack on the Guard two days ago. She strong-armed one of the Headless Horseman’s lackeys into doing her bidding.”

Cinderella’s mouth pressed into a firm line. As much as she was angry for being left out of the loop - and rightfully so, Adam would be having a firm conversation with Javier about following orders - she was able to compartmentalise like a true Queen. 

The prophecy had been haunting them for almost twenty years.

_ Evil will rise when her daughter stands with her.  _

_ Unless her Prince can teach her to love, the daughter of the King will come to power in her eighteenth year.  _

_ The strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one.  _

The prophecy had been the cornerstone of the founding of Auradon. 

Locking all the villains on the Isle under a magical barrier - an attempt to thwart Maleficent's ability to stand against them.

Stripping them of their royal standing - an attempt to stop the daughter mentioned being born. 

It was like trying to empty a sinking ship with a shoe.

They’d been waiting. And now it was happening.

“A VK gang went up against Maleficent?” Cinderella asked, drawing the line between what he’d said at the press conference and this new information. 

_ These new students have shown that the line between good and evil is not clear cut. They risked themselves to return a captured Auradon Guard and after discussions with representatives from the Isle we have decided to give them the opportunity to study and live in Auradon. This will mark the beginning of new relationships with a new generation. New chances.  _

It was no small feat to go up against the most evil villain of them all. And to come out unscathed...

“They weren’t aware.” Adam was confident of this. Hades was sure of his daughter, but after meeting the girl Adam knew she knew nothing of her mother’s plan. She’d secured the favour in an attempt to improve things for her friends and the other VKs. The barrier was a fact of life - she may have imagined another life, but she wasn’t seeking it out. “My sources tell me our would-be kidnapper is still trying to work out why Maleficent's daughter threatened to slit his throat when he was following her mother’s orders.”

Hades hadn’t even had to get him drunk. The story had come easily in the tavern, surrounded by sympathetic ears.

“You’re bringing over  _ Mal.” _ Cinderella’s jaw dropped, her eyes widening. Then, annoyance won out, “ _ For god's sake Adam, _ I have been saying for ye-”

“I know.” He cut her off, knowing that he needed to cut off the lecture before it began. She couldn’t say anything he didn’t already know, “I know.”

Ten years ago, Cinderella had suggested a proactive approach. Trying to get Mal on their side. The Council shut her down. He didn’t underestimate how much this move would sting later, once she’d had a chance to digest it. 

“Do you really?” she scoffed, rolling her eyes in disgust and fixing her glare on the mass of people outside. They were the focus of her ire too. They had all helped create this climate of fear, helped it thrive, “You founded Auradon based on the belief that you could stop this prophecy from even getting off the ground. You, and Charming, and Phillip. You did everything you possibly could to make sure Maleficent couldn’t make a stand and now you decide to change that strategy without consulting the Council.”

“I spoke with her father.” Adam admitted, knowing he would have to tell the Council something. Lumiere was planning for a session the following evening - it would have been sooner, but it would take Robin and Marion at least ten hours to arrive.

It was the burden of his throne. Some truths needed to be kept close to the vest. 

“Oh that elusive gentleman.” If possible, the disgust only got deeper. Adam wondered if her view would change if he knew who Mal’s father was, but he doubted it. Cindy was the kind of person who would take on a god without blinking. She  _ did _ take Hades on in Council meetings, “He’s on my shit list too. Don’t think I don’t remember that leaving all the kids on the Isle was his idea. What was his point again? Can’t risk either of them escaping and it’s too risky to open the barrier for a mercy mission.”

“You done?” Adam sighed, knowing that she wasn’t.

“Not even close.” Cinderella stared at him for a long moment, and Adam imagined she was imagining all the ways she could make his life hell without landing on the Isle for treason. “What does Ben think of all this?”

“He doesn’t know.”

Adam, Belle and Hades had come to that agreement after sending Ben and Mal off on a ‘tour of the castle’. The suspicions Adam had been harbouring for weeks we confirmed when he saw the way they looked at each other. Ben would have been less subtle if he had had little love hearts floating above his head. Mal, at least, had a poker face, but even she had looked curious. 

Young love. Tentative and new. 

It made him feel old. 

“Jesus, Adam. You’re killing me here.” Cinderella groaned, rubbing her forehead as if it would ease the growing headache. “Why not?”

“He’s the prince.” Adam admitted, his own frown deepening. As a father, he wasn’t enthralled by the role his son was having to unknowingly play. But as a ruler, he knew it was necessary. Doing the right thing, no matter how hard. “I’ve had my suspicions since he started outlining his plans for Kingship. But the girl’s father confirmed as much for me yesterday.”

“Well let’s be honest, it was never going to be Chad. And Phillip had a girl, so…” Cinderella laughed hollowly, well aware of her son’s reputation as a playboy prince. She did not approve. She only hoped that some girl broke his heart while he still had time to change. She had a feeling it would be Audrey.

Adam smiled ruefully, reluctant to admit that she had a point. Ben had been the first prince born after the creation of Auradon, and there were only three princes in his age group. Ben, Chad and Aziz. But Aziz wasn’t really a prince, he was a sultanzade. And Chad wasn’t teaching anyone to love. “We’re running out of time. Maybe your way could work.”

It had to. They were running out of options. 

“I really wished you’d have realised this ten years ago,” she sighed in resignation, leaning back into the leather, finally. It was a hollow victory, “I’m assuming her father thinks she’ll stand with us? Do you really think Ben can undo eighteen years of that hellhole before she turns nineteen?”

“He has to.” Adam wished he sounded more sure. Ben deserved as much. But this was bigger than all of them. This was bigger than Auradon. “Mal’s loyal to her father. But she still cares for her mother. Craves her approval, even if she won’t admit it to herself. I need to believe Ben can pull this off.”

Ben’s tenure as Crown Prince was going to start with a bang. 

“They’re  _ children _ , Adam. Not pawns. Now they’re here, they can’t go back.” Cinderella’s words were harsh, but her voice was sad. Resigned. She hated this almost as much as he did. “You know that, right?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal wonders how many princesses were raised to phrase ‘fuck you’ you as a compliment.

_ Four days later. _

Mal watched from her spot at the door of the limo as the countryside speeding by morphed into the grounds of Auradon Prep. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, or if she’d recognise anything from her dreams. 

It was everything she’d seen in her dreams but...more. The sprawling green lawns, the neat brown brickwork...it was all so…regal. 

They were never going to fit in here.

No matter how cosy they’d looked on campus in her dreams.

Mal shot a glance at Evie. She was sitting holding Dizzy’s hand tightly, reassuring the younger girl that everything would be okay, even if people didn’t like them at first. She wondered if Evie really believed that. Mrs Potts and Cinderella definitely did. They’d told them as much when they’d packed them all into the limo half an hour before. 

Mal wasn’t even sure Ben liked them. He’d seemed convincing enough when they’d met on Tuesday. They’d flirted. Kissed. She hadn’t opened up to him. She wouldn’t. But she’d been honest. 

And then when she returned with the others on Wednesday, he was gone. ‘I need to be at the school in person’ the note he’d left with Mrs Potts had said. 

Maybe he’d changed his mind. Fulfilled the bad girl fantasy and now he’d run back to some pretty pink princess. Oh she’d been so stupid. 

But she was here. She was in Auradon. And she was going to get the rest of the kids off the Isle. 

Because her father was right, the best revenge was moving on. Holding up the mirror to Auradon and highlighting all their flaws. Because they’d left kids like Dizzy in the hands of monsters, and that wasn’t okay. 

Villain Kids. Living in Auradon. With all the princes and princesses. Integrating. Living their lives. Being happy. Being  _ free _ . 

Being a constant reminder of their previous cruelty. Their bad decisions. A walking embodiment of their fears that had every right to be there. 

And her mother. Trapped on the Isle. Waiting for Mal to make her move and steal the wand. Thinking she was playing the long con. Slowly realising her daughter had left her there to rot.

Now that was truly wicked.

“We’re here!” Dizzy squealed, jumping up and down in her seat. Mal snapped back to reality as they drove through an imposing set of gates. She heard a band begin to play. She could see a lot of people standing in a group near a fountain. 

_ Oh dear god… _

Evie grabbed Dizzy and Celia’s hands, squeezing tightly. Jay and Carlos scrambled to get a better look, muttering between them. Mal grinned when she realised it was split between tactical assessments and splitting the content of the limo. 

And then they were at the fountain. A guard moved forward to open the door, and Mal took a deep breath before she stepped out.

She could do this. She was a leader. This was just like Isle politics. But with more...frills.

Mal blinked at the sunlight, she was still getting used to this being awake in the daytime thing. Instinctively, she assessed her surroundings. Evie was to her left, closest to the car, with Dizzy and Ceilia on either side. What looked like a move of deferral was purely tactical. If they needed to make a quick escape, Evie would throw the kids in the car, take out the driver and get them out of there while Mal, Jay and Carlos played defence. 

This might look like a school, but you could never rule out villagers with pitchforks. Not when it came to their parents.

Jay and Carlos flanked her on either side. Carlos between the crowd and the kids. Jay closest, ready to jump into action if needed. 

Their expressions were all guarded. Neutral. It was a play they’d made a thousand times. 

In front of her, Mal saw maybe thirty students. A welcoming committee. Or just those brave enough to turn up.

There was a marching band. Of course there was. And they stopped playing the moment they saw real VKs. 

Then right in front of the fountain was Ben. Mal had expected him to be front and centre, leading the way. Dragging his subjects along. But instead there was a short woman in a blue suit and pink heels. She was clearly in charge here. She would need to be Mal’s focus. 

There was another girl standing with Ben, just behind the blue suit. She was the  _ definition _ of a pretty pink princess. She was dressed head to toe in pinks and creams. A perfect perm. Pearls.

Mal wasn’t one for feeling self conscious, or comparing herself to others - unless it was in terms of evilness - but she was very aware of how different they were. She might not be wearing her armour today, but she was still in vibrant purple and greens. Fitted jeans. Leather jacket. A ripped T-shirt. 

Evie was wearing a leather  _ cape. _

This was not going to be easy. 

The moment the music stopped, Blue Suit strode forward, her arms gesturing wildly, “Welcome to Auradon prep. I'm Fairy Godmother, headmistress.”

Wow. Ben had failed to mention that part. Fairy Godmother was wearing a lot of hats these days. 

Advisor to the King. Protector of the wards. Magical interference detector. Headmistress. Way to diversify.

Mal knew how to handle people like Fairy Godmother. Flattery always worked. Clasping her hands together, she widened her eyes in wonder and gasped, “ _ The _ fairy godmother? As in, ‘Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo’?”

She waved her hand around in the air near her head, overly imitating waving a wand. She knew when she had her on the hook. Fairy Godmother’s eyes softened, her smile became more genuine, and her shoulders dropped ever so slightly. Still speaking with her hands, she winked conspiringly, “Bibbidi-bobbidi. You know it.”

Mal grinned, taking a step forward, counting it as a win when no one stepped back, “Yeah, I always wondered what it felt like for Cinderella when you just appeared, out of nowhere, with that sparkly wand and warm smile.”

Again, Fairy Godmother smiled, waving a hand as if it could brush Mal’s words to the side, “Oh, that was a long time ago. And as I always say, don't focus on the past or you’ll miss the future."

There was more over the top waving of her hands, and this time Mal couldn’t hide her surprise. She was staring. Hands still clasped, disbelief probably written all over her face. 

Wow. This was real. People like this were real. 

Ben, clearly sensing that she was about to say something that could get her sent  _ straight _ back to the Isle, stepped forward. He was addressing them all, but his eyes were fixed on her. “It's so good to finally meet you all. I'm Ben.”

“ _ Prince _ Benjamin.” The girl in the pink cut in, stepping forward and reaching across Fairy Godmother to grab Ben’s clasped hands. The girl finished in a squeal, “Soon to be King. Right, Bennyboo?”

Mal raised an eyebrow. Ben pulled his hands away instantly. 

The girl clearly had royal training. She continued as if she had meant for that to happen, expertly covering the look of pure venom she threw at Ben a moment after it appeared. 

“Ben and Audrey are going to show you all around,” Fairy Godmother, probably entirely used to dealing with inflated egos  _ and _ teenage hormones, cut in before anything could escalate. She not so subtly pushed Ben and Audrey apart, stepping forward so she was once again at the lead, “and I'll see you tomorrow. The doors of wisdom are never shut!” 

Mal actually took a step back in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden exclamation. Whatever she’d expected, this was not it. Even the craziest villains on the Isle were more predictable than this. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Ben snicker.

Fairy Godmother flipped straight back to business, fixing each of them with a look that wouldn’t be out of place in the Isle. A ‘there will be consequences’ look. “But the library hours are from 8:00 to 11:00. And as you may have heard, I have a  _ little _ thing about curfews.”

She finished with a grin, then spun on her heel and headed back towards the school. The small crowd took that as permission to begin dispersing, or chatting amongst themselves while they tried to get a look at the new students.

Ben stepped forward, and Mal noticed how Audrey stayed almost attached to Ben’s elbow. She glared, not entirely sure which one was the focus of her ire, when Carlos elbowed her in the ribs. “Might want to tone down the dragon eyes,” he hissed as Ben stopped in front of Evie and the girls.

Mal could hear Ben talking about how good it was to finally meet them, how this was a momentous occasion, but she was too busy blinking and reinstating her poker face. 

And then he was in front of her, taking her hand - she didn’t return his shake - and quickly squeezing her hand as he shot her what she suspected was meant to be a reassuring smile. She could tell he was nervous. That he wanted this to go well. He was overcompensating, like he had when they’d spent the evening wandering the castle grounds together. 

But when he began to wax lyrical about the healing of their two peoples...she had to save him from himself. She rolled her eyes and swung to face him, throwing him a bored look, “Or it’ll be known as the day the Crown Prince showed some Isle kids where the bathrooms are.”

Audrey’s face fell at her comment, shock dominant on her face as she went ridgid. Clearly no one spoke to the future King like that. Ben, on the other hand, visibly relaxed. This time when he looked at her, his entire demeanor softened. Keeping his gaze fixed on her he laughed, “A little bit over the top?”

Mal made a show of wincing, but she never broke his gaze, “A little more than a little bit.”

Ben chuckled, but didn’t say anything after that, he just kept looking at her. Mal could feel her friend’s questioning glances - not that they’d ever be overt enough for Dizzy, Ceilia or Audrey to notice. But Mal knew they were there. 

Her only mention of ‘the Prince’ had been to tell Evie he was off limits. She hadn’t talked about their walk in the grounds. The make out session on the kitchen stairs. Or the one in a deserted hallway. Or the one right outside his father’s office. She’d have to answer their questions later. But for now, she was happy to let him stare. 

Audrey, noticing that Mal had Ben’s full attention, jumped in to divert the situation. “Hey! You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you?” Mal turned to face the girl, keeping her expression blank. This wasn’t going to be pretty. But hey, might as well get the egg throwing out of the way as soon as possible. 

“Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff.” She paused, clearly for effect, before she name dropped, “Oh, my mom's Aurora. Sleeping -”

“Beauty!” Mal cut her off, plastering a fake smile on her face. Her smile was all teeth, one that would warn any Isle brat that they were getting on her last nerve and should stay out of her way. “Yeah, I've heard the name.” She smirked dismissively, knowing exactly how to press the princess’ buttons. She’d given her entire playbook away in a few sentences. If all the Auradon Kids were like this, Mal could have them under her control in no time. If she wanted to. She continued, her tone light with just a hint of sarcasm. “And I totally do not blame your grandparents for inviting everyone in the _whole_ _world_ but my mother to their stupid christening.”

“Water under the bridge!” Audrey smiled, baring her own teeth. Internally Mal grinned, maybe Auradon wasn’t as perfect as everyone made out. Audrey had picked up on her cues, the veiled meanings, and she matched them with her own brand of venom. Her’s was just sugar sweet. Mal wondered how many princesses were raised to pronounce ‘fuck you’ as a compliment. 

“Totes!” Mal shrugged with a wide eyed smile.

“So, how about a tour?” Ben, seemingly oblivious to the cattiness right in front of him, clasped his hands together and grinned at them all. He turned and gestured towards the fountain, and this time Mal noticed another statue of King Beast. Oh Carlos was going to lose it…

Mal inclined her head for Evie and the girls to go first, followed by Jay and Carlos. She’d bring up the rear with Ben...and Audrey. She didn’t try to repress her smile when Audrey went to link her arm with Ben’s, and Ben skillfully evaded her. One moment, he was on her left and Audrey was moving in. The next he was on her right and Audrey was looking put out. He didn’t even break his sentence in explaining the school’s history. 

He’d executed the move with such finesse and grace that Mal wouldn’t have realised what he’d done if she hadn’t been focused on his movements. But even she was replaying it in her head trying to work out the exact method of evasion. Maybe she could pick up some tricks here...

And then they were in front of the statue. Mal kept her eyes on Carlos, waiting for his reaction. Ben clapped. The statue morphed. Carlos jumped into Jay’s arms with a yelp. 

The others tried to cover their shock at seeing magic for real. Mal hadn’t tried anything in the palace in case they were being watched. This wasn’t even a real magic trick.

Mal snickered. 

Ben turned to Carlos, holding his hands out reassuringly. “Carlos, It's okay. My father wanted his statue to morph from beast to man to remind us that anything is possible.”

Mal snickered again. She was definitely getting a sense of deja vu. She couldn’t help herself, “Does he shed much?”

Ben met her gaze with a look that warmed her from the inside out. She’s pretty sure she felt her toes curl in anticipation. Dryly, with the barest hint of a smirk, he responded, “Yeah, Mom won’t let him on the couch.”

She threw him a mischievous grin, acknowledging the joke. Mal didn’t have to turn to see that Audrey was gaping, even more put out than before. Carlos still didn’t look convinced about the statue. Jay was calculating, and Mal knew she would get it when they were alone for leaving them out of the loop. She could hear his lecture about how he couldn’t be an effective defence when she kept cards from him. And Evie...oh Evie looked like the cat who’d got the cream  _ and  _ the canary. Her best friend had already put it all together. 

Mal wouldn’t be surprised if Evie wasn’t mentally sketching wedding dresses and baby booties. Trying to work out a way to merge her purple and green with his blue and yellow.

This semester was going to be wicked...she just had a feeling.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal does not like Audrey.
> 
> Jay does not approve of any of this.

Mal was surprised that Audrey let Ben complete the tour without delegating. He’d been nothing but professional towards her. Nice. Friendly. Welcoming. 

He’d been like that with them all. 

Open and honest and trusting. Just like he’d said.

But whenever he looked at her...the look was loaded. 

She’d noticed it. Audrey noticed it. So she’d played on it. 

Nothing too obvious. But enough to make the point. She knew he was looking. And she was enjoying the attention. 

By the time they reached the dorms, Audrey was seething that she hadn’t been able to keep Ben’s attention. That he rebuffed her attempts to get close. So when one of the dwarves’ sons appeared - Mal recognised him from her dreams too, and  _ of course _ the boy she’d seen Evie with was linked to Snow White - Audrey jumped at the chance to hand the villains off to someone else. 

“This is Doug.” Ben waved Doug towards them, and the other boy grabbed a pile of folders from a desk as he approached. “He's going to help you with your class schedules and show you the rest of the dorms.”

“Hi, guys. I'm Dopey's son. As in Dopey, Doc, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Sleepy, and…” And then he saw Evie. The welcoming, chirpy introduction stopped short when Doug’s jaw dropped as he set eyes on Evie. “Heigh-ho.”

Mal shared a knowing glance with Jay and Carlos. Auradon was about to get it’s first dose of Evie. Poor boy didn’t stand a chance. 

Evie smiled warmly, sliding forward into a graceful dip. She was every inch the regal princess - as much as Sleeping Beauty Junior - commanding the room and keeping Doug’s gaze fixed on her. She extended a hand, part of the dip, but an open invitation for him to take it. “Evie. Evil Queen’s daughter.”

Doug did exactly as expected, he reached out and took her hand. Mal didn’t think he’d have the guts to kiss her hand, not yet, and she was surprised when Evie’s eyebrows shot up. Evie masked her shock as she focused on where Doug’s hand held her’s. Doug wasn’t as proficient. His eyes went wide as he looked at their joined hands. Mal thought he was about to drop it when Ben stepped in. 

Mal caught Ben’s eye, raising an eyebrow in question, but got no answer. Instead, he clasped his hands together, breaking whatever non-magical spell Evie and Doug were under. Doug dropped Evie’s hand, and Evie slowly straightened. 

“So. I have a couple of meetings to get to. But if there is anything you need, feel free to-”

“Ask Doug.” Audrey cut in, reaching for Ben’s hand again.This time, he wasn’t so subtle as he pulled away. Undeterred, she turned her back to Mal - a terrible idea really - and smiled, “Mind if I walk with you, Bennyboo? I’m going the same way.”

Mal tried, and failed, to hold back a laugh. Audrey, for her part, ignored her and just continued gazing evenly at Ben. She was attempting to mark her territory, Mal realised. Pity, didn’t she know villains just took what they wanted?

Ben’s tone was conversational when he replied, but the dismissal was clear, “Actually, Mal’s my three o’clock and we’re meeting in the War Room to discuss transitional arrangements.”

Mal, ever the survivalist, kept the surprise off her face. Instead, she settled on a condescending smirk and wave when Audrey turned to look at her. She wasn’t his three o’clock. She was his 10am. Tomorrow. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun with it. 

She made a mental note to talk to Evie about royal customs. Obviously, it was an area her mother had never trained her in. But if she was about to enter this battlefield, she needed to know the tactics. 

Audrey huffed and stormed off, leaving Doug looking anxiously between her and Ben. Something unspoken passed between Ben and Doug, Doug giving a subtle nod, before he loudly announced that their dorms were this way and the luggage had already been dropped off.

Then Ben and Mal were alone. 

Mal folded her arms and raised an eyebrow when he turned to face her, almost looking apologetic, “Ex-girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” Ben sighed uncomfortably, raising a hand to run through his hair. He kept their distance professional, but Mal could tell he wanted to close it. She didn’t drop her arms or frown. Not yet. He’d disappeared on her. He’d convinced her to uproot her and her friends lives, then had no contact for almost a week. He wasn’t off the hook just yet. “She isn’t taking it well. Tried to get the palace to enact the sudden personality change protocol, even though I’d been through the change in legislation checks.”

This time he did move closer to her. He still kept his distance, in case anyone was looking, but his eyes were searching her face for any clue of how she was feeling. Too bad he wouldn’t find any. Mal scrunched her mouth together as she admitted casually, “I don’t like her.”

“You don’t know her,” Ben sighed, gesturing down the hall that Doug had just taken the others. “But I do. Which is why we’re meeting in my office, not the War Room.”

…

“You realise our meeting is tomorrow, right?” Mal reminded him as he unlocked the door to his office. They hadn’t spoken much, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Mal knew how to deal with uncomfortable silences, so she wasn’t rushing to fill this one.

“It is.” Ben agreed as he held the door open for her. She stepped into the room, and wondered when she’d become immune to the lavish furnishings that seemed to be everywhere in Auradon. The school was a converted castle - so wood panelling and antique furnishings were the norm. But Ben’s office was like the palace they’d just left. Overstuffed cushions. Throws. So much stuff. Things that she had no idea what they were, but she just  _ knew _ they were expensive.

“But I owe you an explanation for the last few days.” As she took in the room, she heard the door click behind them and then Ben’s hand was on the small of her back. She leaned into the touch without thinking, without consciously meaning to, there was something about the warmth of his touch that she wanted to curl up and enjoy it. Even if it was just going to be temporary.

Because she couldn't see how this could last.

He paused, as if he was weighing up the dangers of speaking his next words. Mal, ever the devil's advocate, turned to face him. But before she could say anything, he’d moved in front of her and was pushing her back against the door. “And I couldn’t make it until tomorrow without doing this.”

She didn’t need more of an invite. 

She met his lips halfway, leaning back into the door and pulling him closer so there was nothing but air between them. 

She’d missed him. She didn’t know him, but she’d  _ missed  _ him.

It wasn’t the physical affection - but god knows she could get drunk on that if she wanted to. It wasn’t the feeling of safety and security - something she never thought she’d feel outside of her father and friends. It wasn’t the way he treated her as if she was the only thing in his world. 

He’d let her see himself that day in the gardens. His hopes and dreams for the Kingdom. He believed in change. He believed that things could get better.

He believed in her. 

He believed this could work.

Maybe, she could give it a chance too.

…

Mal had never been this reckless in her life.

She was straddling the future king’s lap, in his office chair, hands in his hair as his lips ghosted over her cheek. 

She had no end goal. No plot. No plan.

Doing it for no reason other than she wanted to. 

They’d discussed transitional arrangements. And her mother’s instruction before they left the Isle. The response from the student body to his father’s press conference.

She’d filled him in on the way Cinderella and her sister had swooped into Beast Castle and smothered Dizzy in a hug. Then moved onto the others as if that was the most natural thing in the world, apologising for taking so long to turn up.

He’d laughed when she’d recounted the way the boys had reacted to Mrs Pott’s feast, and pretended she didn’t see the sadness in his eyes.

And then he’d asked her to go on a picnic with him the following weekend. Not this weekend, because he wanted to let her explore with her friends without being tied to him. But he was getting that date in her diary.

Making his intentions clear.

And then they’d talked some more. And then he’d gone to his desk to take a call. And Mal decided to distract him. 

Mal was used to the pull of something she didn’t recognise or know or understand. 

Her father told her that it was the god in her, that the Underworld and Olympus called to them when they had a duty to fulfil. That they could only ignore the call for so long. That it would get stronger as she got older.

Mal wasn’t convinced it was just that. 

She knew the call of the Underworld. The call to return to safety when she got hurt, or the pull to the River when royalty died. Or the bone-deep _need_ to be enveloped in darkness and surrounded by souls.

But there was another pull that had been lurking at the edge of her consciousness for as long as she could remember. 

A voice that sounded like her mother, whispering that she could do worse. 

It wasn’t there all the time. It crept up on her now and again.   


When she was in the middle of battle and faced with a choice. Or when she was angry. Or when she was alone and her mind was quiet. 

Ever since meeting her father, Mal tried to tone it out. Tried to think for herself, not be drawn into its trap. But it had gotten louder when the dreams started. Angrier. More demanding.

The voice was silky smooth, seductive, drawing her in with promises of love and approval and hers and hers thrones. 

That night with the Guard, the voice had told her to stay out of it. That the Guard deserved it. 

The voice was a liar. Mal had known _that_ her whole life. 

So she’d pushed it down and gone with her plan.

Her mother couldn’t love her. No matter what her brain promised - because it  was _her_ brain, clinging to hope,  _ not _ her mother.

But now there was another pull, one that sat somewhere near her heart. 

Pulling towards Ben. 

It didn’t matter that logic told her to hold back. To play it safe and refuse to show her hand. 

It didn’t matter that the voice that sounded like her mother's disapproval was furious. 

She was a villain. She took what she wanted. 

And right now, she wanted Ben.

This thing that was pulling, she wanted to see what would happen when the tapestry unravelled. 

She had never been this reckless in her life. 

It had to count for something.

It had to.

…

“So, care to share with the class?”

Mal had barely closed the door behind her when Jay pounced. 

The boys were in her and Evie’s room, making themselves comfortable. There was no sign of Dizzy or Ceila, which meant no escape for Mal.

Evie was sitting by the table, Mal knew from the pictures showing on the tablet (standard issue for all students of Auradon Prep) lying next to her sketchbook that she’d been planning. There was no other reason for Evie to be stalking the social media pages of Auradonian royalty.

Carlos was playing some kind of video game in the corner, while Jay was blocking her path. Arms folded, hard frown, judgemental stare. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he’d been standing there, waiting for her to return.

In reality, she saw Carlos’ game was in two player mode and knew he’d have moved the moment he heard her outside the door. 

If Evie was mommy to their little group, Jay was definitely the overprotective big brother. He made sure they didn’t leave any side unprotected. That they were safe. That no one got the jump on them. 

And if they tried, he was neutralising the threat.

This was the first time Mal had gone out on a limb alone like this. 

Second, if you counted not telling them about leaving the Isle to meet with the King as a separate offence.

If you counted everything related to her father...that number was higher. A lot higher.

Either way, Jay did not approve. 

“Not really, but I know you’re going to stand there until I do,” Mal sighed, walking around him. She didn’t want to argue with him. Not when she felt lighter than she had in months. Maybe years.

She couldn’t feel the weight of her mother’s expectations bearing down. Of managing the competing gangs, making sure the VKs didn’t kill each other. 

She knew it would be different in the morning. When she was dealing with the looks from her new classmates. When she realised what being the Isle’s representative in Auradon really entailed. When she realised what came with dating the Crown Prince.

She was basking in this new feeling while it lasted.

It wouldn’t last forever. 

It couldn’t.

“No. You don’t get to do this.” Jay growled, turning to follow her. He reached out and placed an arm on the table, blocking her path. Carlos jumped at the sound, looking between Mal and Jay, waiting for the explosion.

They’d only ever gone up against each other like this once. The night she and Evie had disappeared in an alley. The night she met her father.

Mal just met Jay’s glare evenly. She knew he needed to say what was on his mind before they’d get anywhere with the whys of her behaviour.

Jay slammed his palm against the table. “What the fuck is going on here, M?”

This time it was Evie who jumped. Mal just stood there, taking it. She raised an eyebrow, her silent question clear.  _ You done? _

Jay wasn’t done. He pointed to the window, reminding them of the Isle they could see in the distance, looming in the background, “First you tell us we’re defying your mother - which I still think is going to get us all killed, by the way. Then you get a note when we arrive, don’t share the content, but you go all quiet and moody. Then we get here, and you’re looking at Auradon’s Crown Prince the same way Uma looks at Hook when his fan club turns up.”

Mal sighed, turning away from Jay. She crossed her arms across her chest defensively, speaking before he could continue. “I’ve been having these dreams for weeks.”

The room went silent. Everyone knew the power of dreams, even on the Isle. Not that they ever thought that things like True Love and Destiny could happen to VKs.

Mal didn’t blame them. She was the same, and she was the one living it.

“I knew the boy in them was called Ben. Did  _ not _ realise he was  _ Crown Prince Benjamin  _ until I walked into the King’s office and he’s standing next to the fireplace.” Mal could feel Jay’s stare. Of the three, he was the most annoyed that she’d kept this from them. Dreams were powerful. They all knew that. But they could be used against you as well. 

She’d taken a risk. She knew that.

Jay didn’t know she’d told her father. Didn’t know she had a father. 

He thought she was being reckless. 

Maybe she was. 

“It turns out he’s been having them too.” Mal shrugged, dropping next to Evie. She glanced at the sketches, surprised by the way Evie had maintained their Isle flare while polishing things up for Auradon. Not that she was going to need anything like this any time soon. Maybe. A purple sundress caught her eye, she recognised it from one of her dreams. Weird. “I like this one.” 

She glanced back up to where Jay was studying her carefully, his arms still folded. He was always going to be the hardest sell. Sighing, she tried again, “I think we could like the life I saw us having.”

“What happened to making the important choices together?” 

He was caving. Mal knew it. If that was his argument, she was forgiven. 

Smiling, Mal found herself quoting her father. “It’s not a life if you’re doing it because you think you have to.”

There was silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable. They were just digesting.

Carlos was the one who broke it. Mal knew it would be him. He stepped off the raised ledge, dropping his controller on the table. Fixing Mal with an even stare, the one that he always pulled out when he was making sure she’d thought of all the implications. The ripple effect. 

Carlos was good at seeing the big picture, and distilling it down to the key points. “So we’re really doing this. Defying our parents and striking out on our own. Getting the other kids off the Isle.”

“They’re on the Isle, we’re not. It’s a no brainer. They’d leave us.” Mal nodded, looking at each of her friends in turn. She could see the hope beginning to awaken and knew she’d done the right thing, “I know I should have told you before. But I needed genuine reactions when the Guard came for us. And I wasn’t risking a conversation in the Palace if we could be overheard.”

Carlos nodded in understanding, Evie’s eyes gave away her excitement. Jay, ever the level headed one, made her wait for a moment before he nodded too. 

He put his hand in, quickly followed by Carlos. Evie put both hands in, just for good measure. 

Grinning, Mal put both hands in too. “Cause we’re rotten.”

“To the core.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A yellow dress and blue leather jacket doesn’t mean anything...not really.

_ Six weeks later. _

“E, I need help.”

Mal dropped onto the picnic bench next to Evie and Doug, before sighing dramatically and dropping her head onto her arms with a groan.

Evie and Doug shared a knowing look, which Mal steadfastly ignored. 

The VKs had been in Auradon for almost six weeks, and the transition had been smoother than they’d expected. 

The dreams had stopped now she had the real thing. 

Mal somehow made friends with Jane, Fairy Godmother’s daughter, on her second day while they were both having minor freak outs in the bathroom between second and third period. Then Jane introduced her to Lonnie, who knew exactly what it was like to be different. There were still stares, still whispers, but Lonnie and Jane were excellent buffers. And when they didn’t turn into toads or whatever people were afraid of, the other students became more comfortable.

Fairy Godmother had nominated Jay and Carlos for the tourney team. And they had willingly joined the Swords and Shields team - it was the once activity that wasn’t much different between Auradon and the Isle. Lonnie had asked Jay to help her with her technique and get some sparring practice in - but Jay had quietly admitted to Mal that he suspected Lonnie could hold her ground against Uma’s pirates. 

Ben had introduced Carlos to Dude, the campus mutt, and now Dude slept in their dorm room. 

Evie and Doug were thrown together - by coincidence, meddling best friends and circumstance. After their first meeting, they were curious. Mal and Ben had decided not to enlighten them about the likelihood that they were meant to be together, and instead decided to watch them figure it out. So when they were paired together in Chemistry, Mal had just smiled knowingly.

Ben said Doug was completely smitten with his new lab partner. Mal knew that Evie was intrigued. She thought he was cute, he made her feel like she was more than just a pretty face, but she was struggling to shake off her mother’s influence. Mal knew Evie was more than capable of taking on Auradon single handedly - she just had to figure out her worth on her own. She didn’t need a prince. Neither of them did. 

Speaking of princes - that brought them to their second issue. 

Ben couldn’t show outright favouritism towards Mal. They could explain most of their ‘meetings’ as covering the transitional arrangements and future of the VK program. Some of those meetings were even legitimate. But for the most part, they were still sneaking around.

That suited Mal just fine. She enjoyed the risk. Maybe the pretty pink princesses would be put out at being hidden, but Mal wasn’t the poster girl for ‘how things should be done’. 

There was something exciting about the way they’d duck into empty classrooms or store cupboards when no one was looking. Or the way Ben made a point to brush past her in the corridor at least twice a day. 

Just fifteen minutes ago, they’d been standing at her locker talking. Ben lounged against the metal, one arm braced against it. It looked casual, nondescript. Two friends chatting between classes.

But in reality, that was Ben’s way of caging her in against her open locker door. Standing close enough to grab her if she tried to escape - and she tried it every so often, just to see if he’d catch her. 

He usually did.

Today, he’d thrown a tourney ball down the hallway so that it banged off the opposite lockers. When everyone jumped and turned towards the noise, he’d ducked down to capture her lips in a searing kiss. 

And then, while her brain was suitably muddled, he’d asked her to be his date to the tourney after party next week. 

And then sauntered off before she could say no. 

Mal groaned again, resisting the urge to flip Evie off when she heard her best friend’s laugh. It was new. Lighter. Kind of like wind chimes. 

Evie was a bit self conscious over it. Doug swooned every time. 

“He asked you to the party next week didn’t he?” Doug finally asked, and Mal was momentarily surprised by how at ease the dwarf’s son was around her now. 

As one of Ben’s closest friends, he had made a conscious effort with the VKs. He was skittish at first, but she hadn’t noticed when he stopped. She couldn’t remember the last time he had been skittish - maybe around week two when he walked in on her and Ben in their shared dorm room. 

“Yes. He did.” Mal groaned, lifting her head to focus on Doug. If this was the Isle, and she was confronted with a problem she wasn’t familiar with, she found out about it. They did recon. They prepared. Maybe Doug could be useful. “Why does he want to go public now?”

“Maybe he’s sick of sneaking around?” Evie supplied, picking up a couple of fries from Doug’s tray. 

If Mal hadn’t been so stressed, she would have smiled. Doug had realised that Evie wouldn’t pick the fries for herself, so now he ordered a larger size so she’d steal some. 

“It’s more than that.” Doug laughed, reaching for a handful of fries himself. He shrugged as he looked across the lawn to where Ben had just rounded a corner. 

The future King looked exasperated, one hand holding his cell to his ear while the other was gripping his hair. The now familiar feeling in her chest tugged in his direction. Mal pushed the urge to distract him away, reminding herself there was an audience.

And it would probably prove whatever point Doug was making.

“Yes, he wants to openly admit how he feels about you. But it’s only a matter of time before one of you slips up. Or someone finds out and sells it to the tabloids. Or the rumours start about his new girlfriend and, spoiler alert, she won’t be you. If he acknowledges you, he can protect you.”

Mal rolled her eyes, straightening when Ben looked her way. “We aren’t going to slip up.” She argued, but then she saw the way Ben smiled at her, even though his phone call didn’t seem to be going well. 

Doug might have a point.

“M, you almost set Audrey on fire yesterday.” Evie pointed out with a smirk. 

Mal shrugged, unaffected. They both knew that if this was the Isle, she would have done a lot more than set Sleeping Beauty’s daughter on fire. Mal and Uma had got into some pretty nasty sword fights…and fist fights...over Uma’s belief that Mal was messing around with Harry Hook.

She wasn’t. But it gave her something to hold over Uma. And Uma bit every time…

“Well, I really hope the grass is scorch proof.” Doug warned. Mal looked up as Audrey stalked towards Ben as he disconnected the call and clenched her jaw. 

If she was a better woman, she’d cut Audrey some slack. She’d just been dumped. She didn’t know about Mal.

Mal wasn’t a better woman. 

She wanted to fry the girl for even thinking she could touch what was hers.

From this distance, Mal couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it was clear the conversation was getting heated. Audrey said something. Ben looked apologetic but shook his head. Audrey stomped her foot. Ben said something else, Audrey tried to reach for him. 

“Nope, not happening,” Mal muttered, ignoring the way Doug caught Evie’s eye and snickered. Those two were nauseating sometimes. 

She wasn’t going to slip up. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t run interference. 

“Ben, there you are! Cogsworth just turned up looking for you. He looks even more anxious than normal and I don’t think it’s just because he had to speak to me.”

...

Mal flinched as the girls behind her screamed when Jay ran onto the field.

She had been in her fair share of Isle riots, but nothing had prepared her for a Tourney game. A few hours ago, everyone had been nice and normal and attending classes. And now they were like rabid pack animals. 

And people said the Isle was uncivilised. 

You wouldn’t see this kind of hysteria over boys on the Isle. Even Harry Hook’s harem was better behaved.

“Okay, I get I’m new, but what is the obsession with Tourney? And Tourney players?” Mal winced as another scream went through the crowd when Ben passed the ball to Chad. 

Lonnie looked pensive for a moment, as if she’d never thought about it before. As if Mal had just held up a mirror to something she’d accepted as truth her whole life, and pointed out the frog in the background. She bit her lip and shrugged, keeping her gaze on the field as she answered, “I guess it’s because high school sports feed into college sports, and college sports have so much prestige. If you’re not going to hook up with a prince, you want to hook up with an athlete. Did you ever have anyone on the Isle that everyone just went gaga over? The guys wanted to be them, and the girls lined up to swoon.”

“Jay.” Evie laughed, nudging Lonnie with her shoulder. Mal noticed the way Lonnie struggled to repress a smile, even as she rolled her eyes, “And Harry Hook. All he had to do was pull out that smoulder and you could  _ hear _ the panties hit the floor. Never saw the appeal really, he wears more eyeliner than I do.”

“It’s the same principle,” Lonnie laughed with a shake of her head, “Obviously the Isle girls like Alpha males...and in Auradon they like Tourney players.”

Before Mal could say anything else, Jay and Carlos broke off into a sprint across the kill zone. The crowd went wild as they made some kind of complicated play. Jay smashed the ball in Carlos’ direction, Carlos angled his shield to knock it into the air and made a hand gesture that Mal recognised from their days on the Isle. Jay took a running jump and planted both feet on Carlos’ shield, and Carlos vaulted him into the air. Jay met the ball in mid air, batting it off in the direction of the player to the right of the goals. 

The crowd was eating it right up, screaming Jay’s name. Mal followed the ball and realised Ben was on the receiving end. Before she could process what was happening, Ben intercepted it with his own complicated move (or maybe she just really didn’t understand Tourney) and launched the ball at the goals.

This time, Mal was with the crowd. They screamed, she squeaked into her gloves. She would not scream like a fangirl.

The ball hit it’s target and the crowd got impossibly louder. The buzzer signalled for halftime, but Mal barely registered it. 

She was shocked by the way the excitement had gripped her. The way her stomach knotted, hoping Jay and Carlos could pull the move off - could prove the Isle way worked here. And then watching Ben, hoping he could finish what they’d started. It had been exhilarating. 

She was still bouncing on her toes when Ben sought her out in the stands. She couldn’t make out his features for the helmet, but he looked...happy. Lighter. He’d been trapped in talks with Arendelle for the last few days and didn’t know if he’d make the game. 

She’d felt….strange at that. They’d been given cell phones when they arrived, amongst the clothes and other essentials, which meant whenever Ben was called back to the Palace they could stay in contact. Sitting on the roof of her dorm - Fairy Godmother might have a thing about curfews, but she wasn’t as big on building security - to ensure they had privacy, they’d talked for almost three hours two nights before. 

But it was a poor substitute for the real thing. 

He’d sounded so exhausted. She’d wanted to reach out and offer him some kind of comfort, but instead had to settle for murmuring softly. Telling him she knew he’d work it out. That she knew he was doing his best. Suggesting things that might help -  _ real _ suggestions that could work in Auradon, not full on Isle methods.

She was disappointed for him that he was missing something he loved. 

She didn’t look too deeply into her motivations when she’d cornered Evie and Lonnie at breakfast the day before, asking what kind of thing she should wear to the game. 

_ The media will be there for Ben. Jay and Carlos are on the team. I need to show we’re making an effort to...fit in.  _

Evie didn’t believe a word she said. Lonnie looked suspicious but let it drop. By lunch they had a design. By dinner, Evie was pinning Mal into a yellow dress while Jane and Lonnie made suggestions from Mal’s bed. 

It was a world away from what she was used to. But she liked it. Even if she pretended to groan about the effort being a diplomat required. 

Given the look on Ben’s face as he pulled his helmet off, she’d made the right call. He was oblivious to the team celebrating around him. Instead, he was staring at her as if he was trying to work out if his eyes were working properly. 

Mal grinned, lifting her hands in a shrug before she mouthed ‘Go Knights’ and mimed punching the air. 

Acting as if this was the most normal thing ever. 

Acting as if ditching her purple and green didn’t mean something. 

Acting as if she wasn’t standing in the crowd, enjoying herself, wearing a yellow dress and blue leather jacket.

Ben laughed, shaking his head. He turned to respond to Chad, but kept his eyes on Mal. 

She couldn’t resist pushing the limits, so ignoring the looks Lonnie and Evie were sharing, she tossed Ben a casual finger wave. 

He wanted to go public tonight. She might as well act like his girlfriend while no one was looking.

Mal knew the moment she won. Chad was trying to direct Ben towards the cheerleaders that had stormed the pitch - _of_ _course_ Audrey was the cheer captain - but Ben shrugged him off and ran towards them looking determined. 

“Audrey is going to kill you,” Lonnie whispered, glancing between Ben and Mal. 

Mal just laughed, although she had no idea what was going to happen next. 

This was what she did. She pushed boundaries. Played devil's advocate. You drew a line and she’d step over it with a smirk. 

But she didn’t think Ben would leave the field. This was uncharted territory. 

The next thing she knew, Ben was in the stands, jumping up the bleachers to reach her. People had started to notice, and Mal was vaguely aware of cameras flashing from the press section. 

She couldn’t bring herself to care - what her mother would think, how her father would react, how this would destroy her reputation on the Isle. All she could focus on was the way Ben looked at her. Like she was all he could see. 

Maybe even like he loved her. 

Not that she knew what love felt like. 

By the time he was in front of her - even standing on the level below her, he was still taller - Ben was all Mal could see too. She was probably giving old Chesh a run for his money, and she was also pretty sure her face might break from all the new muscles she was using...but she didn’t care. 

Ben didn’t pause once he reached her. Didn’t stop to think. Once she was within touching distance, he reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to him. His lips found hers, claiming her as his as he deepened the kiss. 

Mal was vaguely aware of the catcalls - she could pick out Jay and Carlos with ease - and Audrey’s screech from the field. Mostly, she was just aware of  _ Ben _ .

The way she fit against him. The feel of him pressed against her. The way he grounded her. 

It was too much. Complete and utter overload. 

When she’d first come to Auradon, she’d told herself this was only temporary. That it couldn’t last. 

Now, she was beginning to think it could. 

She might not survive the alternative.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal is pretty sure Belle’s lost her mind.

For the first time in her life, Mal was early to English class. After Ben’s little display at the game yesterday, things had been crazy. 

Half time had ended and the game recommenced, but the attention on Mal was only starting. As soon as Ben went back to the field, the stares started. She noticed the cameras on the pitch we no longer solely focused on the game, they were focused on her too. 

She made a conscious effort to keep her face neutral. Showing excitement when it was expected. Following Lonnie’s cues for how she should be reacting.

Sometimes she barely noticed the intrusion, she was too busy focusing on the game. But other times it was almost suffocating, as if she could feel the daggers being glared between her shoulder blades. 

She was relieved when the game ended - the Knights won by a landslide. The crowd was more interested in the team than her...that was until Ben jumped into the crowd again. Jay and Carlos joined him, making the whole thing less obvious and helpfully providing a human shield between Mal and the reporters. 

Things had been easier at the party - the team had booked out a restaurant not far from the school. It was private enough that they didn’t need to worry about reporters, just overzealous students with smartphones. 

Fairy Godmother had sent seven people to detention for breaking the social media policy before breakfast. Apparently, selling gossip about the royal family was frowned upon. As was posting it on your public blogs. 

The result was that there weren’t just photos from the game online. There were photos of her sitting on Ben’s lap eating pizza (seemingly this was a shock, the eating pizza, not the sitting on him), and of the moment Ben pressed her up against the wall of what they’d thought was a dark enough corridor. Jay and Carlos had intercepted most of the would-be paparazzi, but obviously some had slipped through the net.

It was unnerving waking up to her face plastered over every gossip site Jane could think of. Evie had already framed a few copies of the cover and story from  _ AudradonNow! _ Mal had a feeling one of them would make its way back to the Isle - to show their mothers how capable they were. Mal had bagged a Prince, and Evie’s was named as the designer of Mal’s outfit.

It made it worse that Ben was needed at the Palace. He’d stayed for breakfast - walking into the cafeteria holding her hand and eating with them until the Guard came to collect him. 

Mal finally understood what Doug had meant about Ben protecting her. She could achieve a lot of distance with her VK status, but there was a weight behind the crown that she hadn’t appreciated before.

It meant people were still staring, but at least they weren’t taking photos. She almost wished someone would cross the line so she could make an example of them. 

It had been a while since she’d gone dragon.

But she refrained. 

She needed to prove to herself she could do this. They didn’t have a future if she couldn’t. 

For the first time in weeks, the voice that sounded like her mother’s disapproval had returned. Reeling her in. Cooing softly in her ear. Telling her to maim and torture and destroy. To rule by fear. 

Mal wasn’t sure that she didn't want that anymore. But she was sure she wanted Ben.

So instead, she pushed down the whispers like she always did, and flipped some of her old Isle tactics. She ignored the real whispers and stares. Instead of snarling at people who got too close, she threw them a smile that was more teeth than strictly required. She stuck with her friends, because going off alone was inviting an ambush from Audrey. 

Enduring the  _ Chad’s-my-boyfriend-now _ stunt after the game was enough for one lifetime.

At least Lonnie didn’t mind being early for their shared English class. It meant they were already settled at the back of class when everyone turned up. People were too scared to turn and stare after Fairy Godmother's warning. Apart from Audrey. She was happy to sit and glare. 

“And here I thought you had the dragon eyes.” Lonnie muttered, pulling out her annotated copy of Macbeth. 

“You’ve never seen my dragon eyes.” Mal pointed out, doodling in the corner of her workbook. It wasn’t a mashup of the royal crest and her old gang tag. Anyone who said so was seeing things.

“Carlos does an excellent impression,” Lonnie pointed at Mal with her pen, the fluffy pom pom somewhat softening the blow. 

Before Mal could respond, her cell buzzed. She pulled it out of her leather jacket - she was back to the purple - and subtly flicked it open under the desk. 

_ Ben: Try not to kill Javier. _

Mal frowned, nudging Lonnie. She angled the screen towards her friend, wondering if she could make any more sense of it.

Lonnie furrowed her brow, and glanced towards the window. Before Mal could ask why she looked at the window, the door burst open and two members of the Auradon Guard strode in. Javier was one of them. And he did not look amused.

“Mr Robinson. The Palace has requested the presence of Mal of the Isle for diplomatic duties.” Javier ground the words out, like they caused him physical pain. 

“What? No!” Audrey screeched, jumping to her feet and slamming her hands on the desk. Chad jumped in his spot next to her, almost falling from his chair as he tried to move out of her way. “Because she’s his girlfriend now she gets to pick up royal duties? Is this a  _ joke?” _

“I don’t think Javier has it in him to joke.” Mal supplied, but didn’t move to get out her seat. Part of her actually agreed with Audrey. Surely they weren’t trotting her out as Ben’s girlfriend already. Not after those pictures.

“You’re being summoned in your role as a leader of the Isle. Not as the Prince’s  _ consort _ .” He didn’t try to hide his displeasure at the latter description. 

Realising she had no way out of a car ride with her biggest fan, Mal sighed and began gathering her things. Being summoned in this capacity she understood. Usually, the meetings were in Ben’s office. And informal.

The future of the VK programme. Monitoring public opinion. Improving the supply chain and picking future candidates. 

There was nothing at the Palace. Nothing like the sideshow that was currently playing out in third period English.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she tossed a smile in Audrey’s direction for good measure before she stalked towards the Guards. Javier’s companion flinched when she got close, and she grinned. She recognised this one. 

He used to be on the supply ships. Had tried getting handsy with her when she hadn’t quite reached her sixteenth birthday. She’d made sure he regretted it, and made sure he wouldn’t go near any of the other girls afterwards.

He was probably worried she’d out him now she had the Palace’s ear. 

As if she’d give up that leverage. 

Turning her attention back to Javier, Mal decided to poke the bear, “Let’s get one thing straight though. I’m no ones ‘consort’. I’m his girlfriend. Consort makes it sound like I’m about to start hosting guests in the Green Room.”

…

“I’m sorry, you want me to  _ what _ ?”

On one level, Mal knew she was probably breaking about a million royal protocols. On another, she was pretty sure Ben’s mother had lost it. 

Mal was looking at the Queen like she’d grown another head, switching between Ben and King Adam to check that, yes, they were still onboard with this madness. “You realise I don’t know the first thing about being a princess. Or hosting visiting dignitaries. Or even  _ attending  _ tea parties designed to host visiting dignitaries.”

“That’s exactly why I think this would work,” Belle explained, reaching for Mal’s hand and clasping it. The move was comforting, motherly, and despite herself Mal felt her heart rate slow. “Queen Elsa has always been wary of the other member kingdoms, of us. I think she’s worried that even after all the time, someone will decide she needs to be sent to the Isle. You might have a better chance of connecting with her. And of course I’ll be there the whole time, hosting and keeping everything running. Your only job would be to talk with her.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Ben added, throwing a pointed look at his parents. Mal could tell this wasn’t his idea, but she wasn’t sure why that bothered her, “If it’s too much, we can look at other options.”

Mal was silent for a long moment, the disbelief still clear on her face. This was madness. Utter madness. How desperate did they have to be to roll out the VK. Unless...

“Am I being asked because everyone knows we’re dating, or because I’m a VK proving that no one is inherently evil.”

“Honestly, both.” It was King Adam who answered. Ben shot his father another look, but Adam ignored him. Mal focused on the King, at least sure he would be honest with her, “Belle and I have known since your first week at Auradon Prep that you were sneaking around. You aren’t that subtle Ben.” He threw Ben a knowing look, and Ben suddenly found a lamp on the side table incredibly interesting. Adam pointed back to Mal, completely serious, “Mal on the other hand has an excellent poker face. You should take notes for Council meetings.” 

Despite herself, Mal laughed at that. She was struck by a sudden vision of her at a Council meeting. They’d wet themselves. Nothing would be achieved. Except maybe a few hours of entertainment on her part.

Then she remembered she actually did have a seat on the Council now, and sobered up pretty quickly.

“We can’t unpick the two.” Adam continued, moving to sit next to Belle, directly across from Mal. They were level now, and the way he looked at her...it was the way he’d looked at her father the first time she’d been here, after the glaring. The even stare. The reasonable tone. Detached. All business. He was treating her as an equal.

Now there was a scary thought. 

“You are your mother’s daughter to the general public, but the public opinion is coming around. Jay and Carlos’ performance in the game yesterday had a three percent rise in the poll numbers. You’re a leader on the Isle, and acting as their representative in Auradon. We have representatives from every member kingdom and sometimes we call on them like this. But as Ben’s girlfriend...you would be invited to a lot of these events anyway.”

And there was the ultimatum.

They'd let them have their fun. Getting to know each other under the pretence of secrecy. Because being Ben’s girlfriend meant more than just wearing yellow and blue to tourney games. 

It meant stepping up. 

It meant supporting him in his role as Crown Prince. It meant dressing up and meeting dignitaries and playing nice.

It meant owning her past, her roots, and using them for the greater good.

“Did Audrey ever host a tea party?”

Those were not the words Mal wanted to say. But they were the ones that came out. 

They were the ones she was thinking. 

Belle smiled, understanding flashing through her eyes. Ben looked confused, as if this was the first time he’d noticed her insecurity about Sleeping Beauty’s daughter. Her jealous streak.

Mal was competitive. And if little miss pink dress could do it, so could she. 

“Audrey has attended a few with her mother or grandmother. Anything she hosts has been one of their events.” Belle reached out to place her hand over Mal’s reassuringly. Mal glanced down, surprised by the warmth in the movement. Hades wasn’t a touchy feely parent, whereas Ben was big on contact. She could see where he got it from, “We don’t expect you to be Audrey. We want you to be you. And we wouldn’t have asked this of her.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal can do this. Of course she can. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much like Evie’s knowledge of poisonous plants in Dragon’s Fire, anything remotely technical comes from google! And I’ve tweaked Elsa’s timeline a little.

Mal stood in front of the full length mirror in Ben’s suite, studying her reflection carefully.

This wasn’t like the tourney match where she’d tampered down her identity for the day, switching to blue and yellow but keeping the Isle flair. Today she was leaning into her own identity.

Evie had worked a miracle in the twenty-odd hours she’d had to pull this off. How she created a masterpiece and slept, Mal did not know. It was a simple cut, a timeless design. And the way she’d combined Mal’s purple with Ben’s blue was nothing short of genius. It gave Mal her own identity, while marking her as part of the royal party. 

The dress wouldn’t be out of place at a much larger gathering of wives and girlfriends. She would be able to reuse it. That was going to be important to her, if she could pull this off. Recycling and minimising waste.

She looked...like she fit. 

Like she belonged on Ben’s arm, hosting tea parties with his mother.

If Mal had ever questioned her ability to survive in Auradon without Evie, the last two days proved she could not. Evie was the level headed princess with a mind for diplomacy. So two hours after Mal had been pulled from English, Evie had been pulled from Chemistry. 

According to Jay’s messages to their group chat, Audrey’s meltdown had been spectacular. On par with Uma’s tantrums.

Mal was almost sad she’d missed it.

“You don’t have to do this.”

Ben snuck up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist, pressing a chaste kiss into her hair. Carefully. So that he didn’t upset the hairdo Evie had spent an hour crafting.

Mal leant back into his chest, taking comfort in the support while she had it. In half an hour, she’d be alone. With Elsa. On her own. 

“I kind of do,” she tried to sound light, reassuring. She wasn’t sure how well she pulled it off because the frown didn’t leave his face.

“That’s not reassuring me.” He gave her a squeeze, reminding her that he had her back. That he wouldn’t judge her if she backed out. 

She would, though. And everyone else.

“Ben.” she smiled, wider this time. Turning in his arms, she wound her arms around his neck. She took a moment to appreciate how different he looked when he was dressed up to entertain. She was used to him in his blazer and slacks. Or sports jackets. But this was...different.

He had been Evie-fied too. While she met with Elsa and Anna, Adam and Ben would be taking Anna’s husband Kristoff on a tour of the stables and grounds. 

Evie had dressed him in jeans (her shade of blue, not his), an open collared shirt (white), and a lightweight blue jacket hung over the back of a chair. 

Mal’s style moved a little to the left, Ben’s moved a little to the right, and it worked.

They could work like this.

That thought made this whole thing...less terrifying. “This is something I can actively do to help make things easier for you. And it would have to happen at some point, right?””

Adam had had a point. She was a representative of the Isle. This kind of thing would come with the territory. It was a small price to pay when it meant making things better.

“Eventually, yeah,” Ben replied, searching her eyes for any sign she was struggling with the looming responsibility. Too bad he wouldn’t find any. “But you’re still getting used to Auradon and-”

“Ben. What do you think I used to do on the Isle?” she cut him off with a laugh, raising on her toes to press her lips to his. 

She kept it short and sweet. They didn’t have time to get distracted. And Evie would kill them if Ben ruined her hair or she smudged her lipstick.

“Scare people. Negotiate between gangs. Keep everyone in line.” Ben punctuated every action with a kiss. It did absolutely nothing for her resolve to not ruin her lipstick.

“I was a leader. And… _ this,”  _ she twirled as she stepped out of his arms, letting her skirt flare around her, emphasising her point. From the way the Beast glinted in his eyes, she wasn’t sure it had had the desired effect. Well, not the one that involved setting his mind at ease. “is just a different kind of politics. I’ll be fine.”

“And you’d tell me if you weren’t.” He caught her gaze, his stare even. This wasn’t the one that his father used, detached and treating her like an equal. This was asking her to trust him, to let him in.

She was still working on that.

She shrugged, “Sure.” 

Not a chance in hell.

“Well...you definitely look the part.” He trailed his eyes over her again, clearly appreciating the dress. She might have to let Evie play dress up more often. “There’s just one thing missing, and I made sure it’s Evie approved.” 

Mal frowned as he headed toward his desk, wondering how he’d managed to sneak something by her. Other than her shower that morning, she’d been with him or alone in his suite with Evie since last night.

That was one thing that had surprised her. She’d expected to be carted off to the guest room with Evie, not joining Ben in his room. It was one thing to accidentally fall asleep in his dorm watching movies, or arrange with Evie and/or Doug alternative sleeping arrangements on the weekends. It was another to have permission.

He pulled out a red square box, and Mal furrowed her brow in confusion. He opened it and lifted something silver and shiny out before heading back towards her.

He turned her back towards the mirror, draping the simple diamond necklace around her neck. It was almost shaped like a y, with the first diamond in the middle of the chain, and a second hanging from a chain below it.

Mal reached up to brush her fingers over it, instinctively knowing this wasn’t just another necklace.

“My grandfather designed it for my mother. We need to put it back into the royal vault afterwards...but it’s a good fit.”

_ You’re a good fit.  _ His unspoken words hung between them. 

Instead of acknowledging them, Mal turned to link her fingers with Ben’s and steal one more kiss.

Now there was a thought.

...

Mal stood just inside the doorway to Beast Castle with Ben and his parents, trying to ignore the reporters she could see on the lawn.

She could do this. She could totally do this.

Queen Elsa couldn’t be worse than Uma. Or Gaston. Or Frollo.

Suddenly, as if reacting to an unknown signal, everyone sprung into action. The guards in their ceremonial outfits spilled out past them to line the gravel path. Servants raced off to prepare the patio area. Cogsworth steeled himself before nodding to Mal and Belle, and stepping out to the courtyard. 

“When the carriage arrives. Cogsworth will give us the signal to step out,” Belle whispered, reminding Mal of the process. There was nothing condescending about the move, it was simply support because Belle wanted her to be comfortable. She wasn't used to this, but could see how she could become used to it.

“Okay,” Mal agreed, taking a deep breath and smoothing her skirt.

Ben squeezed her hand encouragingly, and even Adam managed a supportive smile.

“You‘ll be great,” Belle smiled, reaching out to take her other hand. Mal offered her a tentative smile, it was small but it was genuine. Belle squeezed her hand reassuringly, and then nodded when she caught sight of Cogsworth’s signal. Mal heard the crunch of wheels on the gravel, and steeled herself for stepping outside. 

“That’s our cue.” Belle smiled, waiting until Mal had taken another breath before stepping into the archway.

Mal joined her a moment later, Ben’s hand on her back and her poker face firmly in place.

She could do this. It was just like the Isle. 

She smiled warmly in the direction of the carriage - a pale blue circle, and two ice white horses with blue manes. She stepped up next to Belle as if she belonged there, ignoring the cameras. She waited to receive their guests.

_ The kind of thing she’d do if she’d been raised on Olympus. _

Pinning that thought for later, Mal watched curiously as the footmen opened the door of the carriage, and Queen Elsa stepped out. 

She was younger than Mal expected. Late twenties at the most. Her light blue dress was floor length and shimmered in the light. Her translucent cape drifting behind her. 

Mal knew from her late night study session with Ben that Elsa was one of the most powerful beings in Auradon. As the fifth spirit, she ranked somewhere alongside the demigods. Alongside Mal.

So why didn’t she seem like it. 

Mal, ever the strategist, noticed everything. The way Elsa held herself inwards. The way she glanced around every few seconds, waiting for a threat to appear.

Hypervigilance.

Suddenly, Mal understood the problem.

Elsa may be a Queen. She may be magical. But she was terrified of her own shadow.

It wasn’t that she was unreceptive of  _ Auradon. _

She was afraid of everything. Including herself. 

If Mal had to guess, Queen Elsa’s biggest fear was her powers. 

And luckily for Ben, Mal knew how to work with fear.

…

They were in the Rose Garden before Mal approached Elsa. 

She had caught Cogsworth in the foyer as Belle was leading Elsa and Anna upstairs. 

This type of diplomacy was new to her. Everything she would do to leverage fear on the Isle, she needed to do the opposite. 

Elsa was the fifth spirit, which meant she would likely be more comfortable in nature. Being indoors could be claustrophobic. On the Isle, she’d have made sure they met inside. At night. In the darkest corner of a tavern.

But it wasn’t the Isle. So. She needed daylight and nature and fresh air. 

Cogsworth had looked at her like she’d pointed out something so obvious he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of it himself. But he’d nodded and carried out her request with the super efficiency she’d come to expect from the Head of the Royal Household. 

When Mrs Potts had arrived, announcing lunch was ready in the Rose Garden, Ben’s housekeeper had beamed at Mal and given her hand an encouraging squeeze as she’d passed.

And now they’d had lunch, discussed the weather, the Isle, settling in Auradon, an upcoming festival in Arendelle, and Queen Elsa was admiring the rose bushes while Lumiere was pouring Anna more champagne.

Snatching two glasses from the tray, Mal headed off towards Elsa. She was a few steps away when Elsa spoke, “I know why you’re here.”

“Good,” Mal laughed. On the Isle she’d have snarled, capitalised on the fear and defensive snap. But here, in the Rose Garden, she needed to soothe. She handed off the glass. “It’s not like we were subtle.”

We. Not ‘they’. Because she was part of the royal household for the afternoon and that should scare her more than it did.

Elsa studied her for a moment before slowly taking a sip. Mal was cool under her gaze. It was curious. Timid. 

Nothing like Frollo’s leering, or Uma’s sneer. 

Easy. 

“Why are you here?”

Now wasn’t that the million dollar question.

“Why are you?” Mal countered with a shrug, taking it as a win when Elsa tried to smother a smile. Shifting her attention to the rose bush, Mal reminded herself of Ben’s favourite phrase. Open and honest. Easy. “We both want the same thing. The best for our people.” 

“I’m a VK, but Ben is my people too. This is something I can do to try and make his life a little easier.” Mal let her words hang in the air, like she would during any other negotiation. Silence was her ally. She didn’t need to fill it. 

When Elsa looked away, Mal saw her opportunity to cut to the chase. No games. They would just put the Queen on edge. “You know this is a good deal, which is why you’re here. But you’re afraid of deepening ties in case we try to punish you for your magic or leverage it. I’m proof they won’t. Belle didn’t ask me to meet with you because I have magic. It’s my unique set of people skills.” 

Elsa laughed, and Mal knew she was making some headway. But she didn’t expect the queen’s next words.

“You remind me of your father.”

Mal fought to keep the shock off her face, but her knuckles went white on the stem of her glass, “My what?”

No one knew about her father. No one. 

Well, other than the High King, Queen and Head Guard. And Evie. And, now, Ben.

And, seemingly, Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

“Oh I know it’s meant to be a secret.” Elsa laughed in a whisper, glancing over to where Belle and Anna were sitting watching the some ducks in the fountain, “I met you when you were a baby. You were maybe a couple of weeks old, and our fathers had some work to do together for the Council. I was terrified that the God of the Dead was coming to the Palace. And then he turns up with this little purple haired baby. I made you smile with these little puffs of snow.”

Mal didn’t say anything. She could imagine it - a younger version of Elsa creating snowflakes for the baby. Her heart tugged when she imagined her father, turning up to work with a baby in his arms. It must have been before he left her mother.

For the first time, Mal missed the life she could have had. This could have been her life long before now if her parents’ separation had gone another way. 

“He was always kind to me. Always offered tips on controlling my magic, even though I was terrified of it.” Elsa smiled, absentmindedly running her fingers over the petals of one of the flowers. Mal was sure she saw the flowers perk up at the touch, “Do you remember the eternal winter?”

“I was eleven. From what I remember the barrier pushed all the snow into the sea.” Mal shrugged, pushing down the strange feeling. On the Isle, they didn’t know what was happening for a few days. Beast Castle tried to cover up the source of the sudden freeze. In the middle of June. But under the barrier, life was the same. Evie had dragged them to the southern cliffs to watch the snow running down the barrier, but Mal had gotten bored easily. “Out this way, it was a lot milder. Ben remembers a snow week.”

“It was an accident. And then it wasn’t. I made bad choices out of fear.” Elsa didn’t sound guilty at least. But she did sound pensive. As if she was still working through the aftermath. Mal suddenly wished Carlos was here. He was best with the scared kids. He had a way of calming them. Distracting them. Elsa needed a whole lot of that, “But I’m not the only one who made that mistake.”

Elsa didn’t need to elaborate.

The Isle. The barrier. Locking away VKs with the villains.

“My people deserve better than that.”

“Look,” Mal sighed, knowing that only changed behaviour would ease the fears. And Ben was working on it, dragging Auradon with him. “I won’t say Auradon will never get it wrong again. It’s human nature. But I don’t  _ actually _ think Ben is programmed to make choices through fear.” Mal caught Elsa's eye and held her gaze. She felt no urge to unlock the dragon, to bulldoze her way to what she wanted.

This wasn’t the Isle. 

And she believed what she was saying.

She believed in Ben.

Besides, Elsa would probably turn her into a popsicle if she tried. And that would look terrible on the front of a magazine.

“Untrained magic is a powder keg. If no one teaches you how to use it properly, it  _ will _ explode.” Mal didn’t know if anyone had ever had the magic talk with Elsa. The way Elsa’s eyes widened, she doubted it.

That was so...strange. Even her mother, who pretended Mal’s god side didn’t exist and only nurtured the evil, had prepared Mal for magic. For powers she might not be able to control and might not understand. 

Elsa had grown up in Auradon and still had no one.

That was...kind of sad.

“I get why you hid from it. But magic isn’t good or evil. It’s the intention that’s important.” Mal reached out, channelling every Evie pep talk she’d had over the years. Evie was the people person. Evie would have managed this so much better, “Someone should have been on the hook for training you.”

Elsa didn’t say anything, but she looked like she wanted to believe.

This wasn’t about the treaty any more. It was about magic and responsibility and...maybe Elsa was her people too.

“There’s this...thing they use on Olympus for categorising people. My dad explained it.” Mal conjured a notebook and a pen, quickly scribbling a grid with nine boxes. Elsa frowned as Mal labelled them. 

_ Lawful, neutral, chaotic. _

_ Good, neutral, evil.  _

“Good and evil are obvious. Neutrals are generally against destroying things, but won’t exactly go out of their way to actively stop it from happening.” If Mal had to guess, she’d say most of the people she’d met since coming to Auradon fit that box. There was nothing wrong with it, but the silent majority brought their own problems.

“The second part is about your personality. Lawful tells the truth, keeps their word, respects authority...they like tradition and judge those who fall short of their duties.”

They shared a look, both knowing exactly which King that described. Mal smiled, knowing she was getting somewhere, and continued, “Chaotic personalities follow their consciences. They resent being told what to do, they favor new ideas over tradition, and do what they promise if they feel like it. Neutral...they don’t have a compulsion to obey or rebel. They just...are.”

Mal hadn’t thought about the grid in years. It had never felt useful. Not on the Isle. But here in Auradon, she saw it in a new light. 

“My mom is chaotic evil, hands down. Dad on the other hand is chaotic neutral. He does what he wants and ignores the rules. Good and evil aren’t what’s driving him. He’s unpredictable, but his behavior isn’t totally random.” Mal paused, wondering if her next words were overkill. She ripped the page off the notebook and handed it to Elsa, knowing she would need the reminder, “I always thought of myself as lawful evil - but I’m starting to see the appeal of chaotic good. I’ve always followed my own moral compass.” 

Mal thought of the competing tugs she felt since coming to Auradon. The pull towards Ben. The reminder of her upbringing. The urge to scream in someone’s face because they annoyed her existing alongside the urge to bake cookies and sit in the sun with her friends.

She shrugged, grinning as she remembered her days on the Isle, “It might not point exactly due north, but it’s served me well so far.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal likes this life. There. She said it.

**Queen Elsa to meet at Beast Castle in next round of trade talks. Click here for live updates!**

_ Relations between the kingdom of Arendelle and the rest of Auradon have been strained since the week long eternal winter almost eight years ago. But now, progress finally seems to be being made. Queen Elsa, Princess Anna and her husband Kristoff have been in Auradon for the past two weeks discussing the future of their partnership. Recent developments with the Isle of the Lost may have convinced Queen Elsa that now is the time to build bridges. _

**What’s this? Prince Ben’s new girlfriend hosts Queen Elsa in the next round of trade negotiations! Click here for the latest updates!**

**Queen Belle and Mal of the Isle host Queen Elsa! Read our profiles of Auradon’s most powerful females!**

**MOM APPROVES! Mal stuns in an Evie of the Isle original, accessorised by Queen Belle’s favourite necklace!**

**Prince Ben looks smitten as his new girlfriend jumps straight into royal life - IN PICTURES**

**OPINION: NOT MY PRINCESS!**

**ANALYSED: Mal and Ben’s wardrobe**

**TIMELINE: What we know about Prince Ben’s whirlwind romance. And what happened with Princess Audrey?**

**Princess Audrey looks stunning in a pink bikini while Prince Ben and Mal host Arendelle Summit.**

**Green is the new black! How to get Mal’s style for yourself!**

...

After the tea with Elsa, Ben and Mal had spent some time with his parents before their next meetings. Adam had a late council meeting to discuss the progress with Arendelle, and Belle was on the committee for some charity ball. They offered to reschedule, but Ben made his excuses about being tired after the long week of negotiations and his tourney game. 

So they took the limo back to school, thankful that it was late enough that most people were in their dorms. The pictures from this afternoon were already online.

Most of the stories were favourable. A few focused on the apparent overlap between Audrey and Mal. One or two highlighted Mal’s role on the Isle accurately, hinting at the conditions. Adam warned Cinderella would have leveraged those by the morning print run.

Everyone would have seen Mal in her deep purple dress, standing in the doorway of Beast Castle with Belle, welcoming Elsa and Anna. 

Audrey would be on the warpath. Jay and Carlos would tease her. Jane and Lonnie would have questions.

Mal couldn't face that tonight.

So they ended up back in his dorm room. 

Evie and Doug had commandeered Mal’s, thinking that they’d be staying the night at the palace. Mal and Ben didn’t want to disrupt movie night or alert anyone to their presence. 

So they’d ordered pizza. Cuddled on his bed while they watched a film. Mal couldn’t tell you what it was about. Ben dozed off about halfway through. But despite being bone tired, Mal was too keyed up from the afternoon to sleep. 

Ben was exhausted, and Mal wondered how often he fell asleep like this. Making excuses to his parents so he could go back to school and decompress in his own way. She wondered what would happen when he officially became Crown Prince. When he eventually became King. 

Would they still snuggle together? Or would he want space from her too?

Ben had worried he was pushing her too hard too quickly. Mal knew she was made of stronger stuff. 

Auradon had nothing on Isle politics. 

It was the rest of that life that scared her. 

But she was too far gone now to consider backing down.

She wanted Ben. Which meant…she needed to accept this part of his life, just like he accepted her past.

It was all too heavy for one night. So she just lay there, enjoying the moment. She was doing that more often now.

It was nice. 

Just as Mal was starting to doze off herself, blue flames erupted next to the bed. 

Mal jumped, surprised by her father’s sudden entrance. 

Hades simply glared at Ben, noting the way he was wrapped around Mal. “I always said I’d fry the first boy I found in your bed.”

“Technically, I’m in his bed.” Mal rolled her eyes as she untangled herself from Ben’s arms and stood. Fixing him with a glare of her own, she added, “Besides, you had to know what you were smoking into if you knew where to find me.”

Mal headed over to the double doors on the other side of the room. Ben’s room was the only dorm to have its own patio area. It was because of the office that adjoined the room - the future king needed a place to hold outdoor meetings when the need arose.

The ease with which she thought that should surprise her. There was no thought about the opulence. No comparison to the Isle. It was just a fact. 

Ben would be King. He needed an outdoor meeting area, and right now it was useful to her needs so she would use it.

She was starting to fit in here. Belonging.

This was becoming home.

Before she could ponder that any further, her father dropped into one of the chairs, drawling, “You did good today, Mallie. I saw the pictures.”

“Going to tell me my smile was too fake or I looked quite homey up there next to Belle?” Mal scoffed, suddenly defensive.

Any thoughts she’d had about today, they’d focused on her mother’s reaction. Maleficent would either be furious and mocking - her daughter was a traitor who forgot her roots - or she’d be proud, telling everyone how her daughter had duped the royal family. She hadn’t thought about her father. 

His reaction would never be as bad as her mothers.

Realistically, from about the age of fourteen, she knew he loved her. But now, she was starting to accept that nothing would make him  _ stop _ loving her. 

Because that’s what good parents did. 

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried that he’d be unhappy with her. That she’d disappointed him, just like she always disappointed her mother.

“Actually, I was going to say you finally started looking like your father’s daughter.” Hades laughed, stretching back and folding his hands behind his head, “You’d think you’d spent your life on Olympus.”

“Why didn’t I?” Mal asked suddenly, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around her middle. 

It was almost midnight and there was a chill in the air. She should have grabbed her robe - another thing she’d never dreamed of before Auradon.

Never mind dreaming of having one, now she had two. One for her room, and one that had ‘magically’ appeared in Ben’s room because she kept stealing his.

If she’d grown up on Olympus, instead of visiting once in a blue moon, she’d be used to all this. Having two of things. Hosting visiting dignitaries. Knowing how to use ten different forks and charming problematic member kingdoms to her will.

“You know why,” Hades was somber, but not apologetic. Mal knew he didn’t rate Olympus, preferring to stay in the Underworld. But to keep her on the Isle. With her mother. Was it really necessary? “Olympus would have made you soft. You need to be ready to face your mother.”

Ah yes, that old chestnut. 

Her voice small, Mal turned away again, looking up at the stars. They were never this clear under the barrier. All these things she never knew she never knew. “Is it really inevitable that Mom will escape?”

Hades stood, moving to stand next to her. He looked up at the stars with her, letting the silence flow. 

He was like Ben that way. He didn’t rush to fill it. 

“That part of the prophecy is very specific,” he reminded her, his tone betraying no emotion. 

Mal knew he wasn’t telling her everything about the prophecy. Like all good prophecies, she suspects it’s caveated. 

This thing will happen, but  _ not _ if this other thing does.

This thing will happen, but  _ only _ if this other thing does.

Her father has always told her she’d need to battle her mother. But never what would happen if she didn’t.

Mal knew what would happen. Evil would reign supreme.

But that idea wasn’t as appealing as it once was. 

The voice in her head that sounded like her mother’s disapproval disapproved.

“I  _ like _ this life, Dad.” Mal whispered, finally admitting the truth out loud.

She’d hinted at it, sure. She was clearly comfortable. But now it was out there she couldn’t take it back. 

She liked this life. She liked not being hungry. She liked not fighting every night. She liked watching Evie finally growing into herself, and Jay discovering he was good at something other than stealing, and Carlos discovering he loved dogs. 

It was more than she’d ever dared to dream of. There was a reason she’d fought her dreams of Ben so hard.

She couldn’t let her mother take it away from her. 

“Well, then you know what you have to do.” Hades words lingered in the nighttime between them, heavy.

She did know.

She just didn’t know if she could do it. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something wicked this way comes...

_ One month later. _

It had been a month since Mal and Ben had gone public. Since Mal had helped secure the treaty with Arendelle. And since then, her feet had barely touched the ground.

Real life started with a bang.

Mal had attended her first Council meeting and pretended she didn’t know her father. It had been unnerving, seeing him acting so indifferent to her, but the look of approval he gave when she stood her ground against Prince Phillip more than made up for it.

There had been a Family Day at school, and Belle and Cinderella had welcomed her friends with open arms. It numbed the sting of video calling their parents, and being quizzed about their lack of progress. Mal had wondered briefly what it would have been like to have her father attend - Queen Leah would probably still have sought her out to make a scene, but Hades would have made one right back. As it was, Belle had defused the situation with such finesse that Leah thought walking away was her idea. 

Then Mal had been Ben’s date to a charity fundraiser  _ and _ a state dinner. Evie had been in her element, designing ballgowns and power suits and his and hers outfits. 

The day Evie put Ben in distressed jeans and a blue leather jacket for the Swords and Shields expo, they’d barely made it to the after-party in time. 

Mal was beginning to feel like she fit here.

She just couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom. 

It had been normal on the Isle. She’d never questioned it. But the feeling got stronger as she got older. The tug that she felt in her very soul. A relentless march towards something she didn’t know or understand.

And then she met her father. Discovered her powers. Discovered the prophecy. 

And the pull got stronger. 

The night she spoke with her father on Ben’s patio, a drumbeat kicked in. And it was getting louder. She avoided the silent moments, the ones where she couldn’t ignore it.

She was going crazy. She should tell her father.

She didn’t know why she hadn’t.

Everything was going to plan.

She was free from the Isle. Free from her mother. Her friends were safe. She was happy.

So why was the voice that sounded like her mother’s disapproval whispering in her ear. Telling her that she had everyone right where she wanted them.

She was going crazy. 

She should tell her father.

But she didn’t.

She could ignore the call of evil.

The pull towards Ben was stronger.

She hoped.

...

Ben’s investiture as Crown Prince was a four day event. School had basically been cancelled for the full week.

The last few days had been the craziest they had experienced since leaving the Isle.

The heads of the member kingdoms began arriving in the city on Monday afternoon. There had been a Council meeting on Tuesday that both Mal and Ben had attended. 

Wednesday, the princesses were pulled out of class for dress fittings and hair appointments. Cinderella had pulled Ceilia from class as well as Dizzy, and judging by the pictures Mal had seen on their social media pages, it had been worth every moment. Belle had organised a trip to the spa with Mal and Evie, and sent Ben and the boys for haircuts with Adam. 

Thursday evening there had been a dinner and cocktail hour. Followed by a quiet supper for Ben and his parents. Mal hadn’t expected to attend that, but Ben had pulled her into the study as if she didn’t belong anywhere else.

She’d stayed the night in Ben’s suite, only to be rudely awoken by Lumiere and Evie at the crack of dawn. She wouldn’t see Ben again until they descended to the Green Room for photos and then entered the parade.

The carriage ride from Beast Castle to Auradon Abbey would take half an hour. The heads of the member kingdoms and their families would go first. Then Ben, his parents, and Mal.

In an open top carriage.

Front and centre. 

For all of Auradon to see.

The suite Belle had loaned them to prepare for the Investiture was nothing short of spectacular.

Mrs Potts had cooked up a storm for the banquet that would follow. Lumiere and Cogsworth had been planning for weeks - one in a constant state of flair and the other a constant state of anxiety. 

Evie had designed Mal, Jane and Lonnie’s outfits. She’d assisted in Belle’s. Ben and his father would be wearing ceremonial uniforms, or Evie would have had joint billing there too. Carlos’ suit was hanging over a wardrobe door, and Jay had put up exactly zero fight when Evie had pulled a dark brown military inspired jacket from the garment bag. Mal knew she wasn’t imagining the relief that flashed through him at avoiding a ‘monkey suit’, and wondered when he’d realise he matched Lonnie’s pink gown. 

Everything was going to plan.

Everything was in place.

Ben’s big day was ready to go off without a hitch, and Mal took longer than she should have to identify the swelling feeling in her chest as pride. 

And maybe something like love. 

Maybe.

But the pull towards darkness remained.

The urge to set the world on fire and watch it burn.

She was going crazy. 

She should tell her father.

_ But you won’t. _ The voice that sounded like her mother cooed softly in the recesses of her mind. 

Mal pushed it away like she always did, focusing on Evie’s run down of their preparation schedule.

She liked this life. 

She  _ wanted _ this life. 

So why, standing in front of a mirror as Evie pulled out her ballgown, did she feel the pull towards something wicked?

...

“I’ve chosen a name for my design business.” Evie announced as she helped Mal into her lavender ballgown.

There was a dress code for an investiture. Of course there was. Only members of the High Royal Family were allowed to wear dominant colours, unless you held a military rank and were wearing the appropriate uniform. Or were the Auradon Guard in their ceremonial uniforms. Everyone else was expected to wear muted, softer colours. 

_ Pastels. _

Mal would have only been allowed to wear her usual eggplant to the ceremony if she and Ben were engaged. For other events this weekend she’d be expected to wear blue and yellow, the royal colours. For others Evie had free reign. 

Mal’s head hurt at all the rules. Evie had just sat next to Cogsworth eagerly taking notes.

That was another unexpected friendship. Cogsworth had been terrified of them to begin with...until Evie fluttered her eyelashes and started asking questions about protocol and history of the castle. If Mrs Potts had decided her mission was to feed them until they popped, Cogsworth had decided his was to give them the education they’d missed. And Evie was a willing student. 

When Cogsworth heard that Doug had convinced Evie to look at starting her own business, he had turned up at their dorm with paperwork for small business grants and women-led business networks. 

Evie was about to take Auradon by storm. 

“Hmm?” Mal asked, trying not to breathe as she was zipped into the dress. She knew by now her job was to stay still and not move, god forbid she made the fabric pull the wrong way with an unexpected inhale.

“I’m thinking Evie4Hearts.” Evie grinned, zipping the dress with a flourish. Stepping back to admire her work for a moment, she grinned and then darted over to the dresser where the jewellery was laid out.

Belle had loaned Mal a tiara and necklace from the Royal Vault. Ben had bought her a bracelet to mark the occasion. It was silver and delicate with a little love heart charm and she had  _ not _ teared up when he’d given her it.

Mal was thankful for Evie’s distraction, it gave her time to hide her shock.

She didn’t know how Evie could know about the prophecy. How she could know what those words meant. 

_ The strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one. _

“You’re not related to the Queen of Hearts, E.” Jay pointed out from his position on the sofa, lounging next to Carlos and Dude, watching the live coverage of events.

In another world, they’d have been sitting in Dragon Hall watching this coverage with EQ. Mal still couldn’t believe the difference almost three months had made.

“No, stupid, it’s us.” Carlos laughed as he threw some popcorn in the air, catching it in his mouth. 

It was so normal. So familiar. 

Mal could almost forget they were in a suite in Beast Castle and not their loft on the Isle, or her and Evie’s dorm room.

“Exactly.” Evie’s words pulled Mal from her thoughts, lifting her wrist to secure the bracelet. “I’m thinking I might as well lean into our roots for the branding. My tagline is going to be ‘the strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one’. Catchy right?”

Mal felt her heart stop. 

Those words. 

_ Those fucking words. _

She’d never put much thought into the prophecy. Never tried to deconstruct the parts she knew. Never tried to figure out what it meant. 

She knew she didn’t want her mother ruling the world. It would only end badly for the VKs. Life was already bad enough on the Isle.

It had been her dream, once upon a time. She knew now that it wasn’t because she wanted it. It was because she wanted her mother's approval. 

Sometimes, she still did.

But she wanted her friends safe more.

“Where did you get that from?” Mal eventually choked out, aiming for casual but landing about a mile off. Evie didn’t notice, but Jay shot her a look and raised an eyebrow. She gestured towards the dress, hoping he believed that she was just getting used to breathing in a corset.

“I dunno,” Evie shrugged, dropping Mal’s wrist and grabbing her shoulders as she studied the reflection in the mirror. Mal could  _ feel _ Evie’s excitement. Doug was going to be in for a long night if Evie couldn’t burn off the excess energy. “It just...felt right. I woke up this morning and it was in my head. I wouldn’t say it was a Dream, but I was definitely dreaming about it. It fits. We’re doing this together. Turning our backs on evil and building a new world. We’re pack animals. We move as one.”

Mal forced a smile, studying her reflection after Evie skipped off to put her own dress on.

In the silence, her internal tugging intensified. One pulled through the walls towards where Ben was getting ready in his suite. The other pulled out the window, towards the Isle. The drum kept marching on.

When her eyes flashed green against her will, Mal knew.

It was time. 

The sword looming was right above her head.

She just had to hope she could use it.

_ She really should have told her father. _


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She’s baaaaack.

_ Two hours and one wand disaster later. _

To say the afternoon had turned into a full on disaster would be an understatement.

Things started off so well.

Mal didn’t freak out before heading to the Green Room. The moment she saw Ben’s excitement, she felt calm. When his hand settled firmly on her waist, she felt grounded. 

Like, even if her mother did break out from the Isle, they could get through it.

She managed to smile normally for the photos, and when they got in the carriage and joined the parade, no one threw fruit. There weren’t even any boos.

She managed to walk into the Abbey without falling flat on her face. The set up had surprised Mal during the rehearsal - four thrones on the dais. Two large ornate ones in the middle for Adam and Belle, then two smaller ones flanking them. 

Mal had been first to enter, taking the smaller throne to Belle’s left. She’d kept the easy smile on her face, ignoring the sniffs of Audrey and Queen Leah from the pews. 

The seating was in order of succession - Chad’s family, then Audrey’s family in the front right pew. Mal had had to bite back a grin when she realised King Stefan was seated next to Ceilia and Dizzy. Queen Leah looked like she’d swallowed a lemon.

Then everyone had risen to their feet when Belle and Adam had entered. Belle threw Mal a wink, glancing pointedly in Leah’s direction.

There was a speech, and then Ben was walking into the Abbey. Ben’s grin was contained, measured. Mal didn’t feel the need for that level of control, and was pretty sure her grin was going to break her face. 

Adam took the ceremonial crown from the cushion in one of the Bishop’s hands and placed it on Ben’s head. There was the ceremonial swearing of oaths. Then Adam stepped aside, and another Bishop brought Fairy Godmother’s wand. 

And  _ then _ it all went to hell.

Jane, poor sweet vulnerable Jane, had snapped. Whether she’d felt the same prophecy driven tug Mal did, or whether the jibes from the bitchy princesses had finally become too much, Jane decided to go after the Cinderella treatment herself.

Mal hadn’t seen it coming. 

She had been expecting a rebellion. For her mother, sick of waiting for Mal to make a move, to somehow breach the barrier, to crash the ceremony.

She hadn’t expected Jane’s desperation.

Mal knew Jane was self-conscious - but she thought her hair spell and Evie’s makeover had helped. 

Obviously not. 

But Fairy Godmother had never trained Jane’s magic. Not beyond basic control and masking. 

Jane was like Queen Elsa. A powder keg waiting to go off.

Jane couldn’t control the wand. But Mal knew  _ she _ could. 

Maybe it wasn’t a sword that had been hanging over her for years.

Maybe it was a  _ wand. _

So she’d darted forward, around Ben’s protective stance, and yanked the wand from Jane’s hands before she accidentally brought the building down around them. 

And then she had the wand, and everyone was scuttling away from her. She could smell the fear.

To them, she’d always be Maleficent’s daughter.

And for a moment, as the drumbeat thundered in her ears and the tug pulled at her soul, she wondered if hers and hers crowns would really be so bad.

Mal just knew the barrier would be broken already. Would it really be so bad if she didn’t fight her mother? Why should she fight, when she would always be feared for her roots?

Then she pushed it down, hating herself for the moment of weakness.

Mal knew that was what Ben had picked up on. 

When her dragon eyes had sparked to life the moment the wand was in her hands, he’d known  _ exactly _ what was flashing through her mind.

But it was easier to be angry at him than disappointed in herself.

_ You don’t have to do this. _

She’d been thinking the words. He’d just said them aloud.

She knew what she had to do. She’d always known.

Maleficent was coming. And she needed to think Mal was still her good little soldier.

“ _ Really _ ?” Mal’s eyes flashed green as she shot a look of disgust at Ben. “After everything I’ve done, you  _ still  _ don’t trust me.”

She could tell from the way hurt flashed through his eyes that her anger hit him harder than if she’d felt betrayed. Showing the betrayal would have meant showing vulnerability. She couldn’t afford that weakness, not now. So she hid behind the anger and the disgust and pretended she’d expected this all along. 

She hadn’t. 

She thought he trusted her. Thought he saw her. 

Or maybe she saw what she wanted to see.

_ “Of course _ I trust you! And if you’re questioning it, you didn’t really trust me either!” The hurt in his eyes had disappeared as soon as it appeared, and now Ben’s anger matched her own. 

There was nothing in his tone to suggest he was pacifying her. Instead of standing between her and his parents, unconsciously leaning away from her, now he was facing her. He stepped forward, glaring at her, calling her out. His hands were no longer held up in defence, they were balled into fists at his side. 

This wasn’t Crown Prince Benjamin. This was Ben. Her boyfriend. 

And he was  _ pissed _ . 

Good. She needed him angry. 

“I  _ know  _ you weren’t actively seeking the wand.” He scoffed, his words biting into her as if he’d thrown them. He seemed to forget they had an audience as he advanced on her, and she reluctantly took a half step back when he got within grabbing distance, “But I understand loyalty and fear and temptation. And now the wand is in your hand and  _ maybe  _ you don’t want to pass up the chance to finally make your mother proud of you.”

Mal wanted to be surprised that he was calling her out like this in public, but she wasn’t. Ben was fighting for her. Fighting for them. Fighting what he thought was the hold her mother’s influence still had on her. 

Maybe they hadn’t been giving each other enough credit. 

“But this won’t do it.” He pushed, still trying to get closer to the wand she held in front of her, “Because she  _ can’t  _ love you and  _ I know _ you know that.” 

“I don’t need a wand to take over the world.” Mal scoffed and rolled her eyes, relaxing her hold on the wand and casually tossing it back to lean against her shoulder. The crowd gasped, but Mal focused on Ben. On the way his eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t back away from her. In fact, without the wand between them, he stepped closer. 

In her hand, the wand hummed.

She wasn’t afraid of it. She wasn’t afraid of the power. Once it had recognised the change of holder, once it realised she could control it, the wand had relaxed. Stopped fighting. 

It was like a wild animal. She didn’t need to brace for it’s thrashing once she’d tamed it. 

And now it was time to stop looking like a scared little girl. 

“I’m a  _ demigod,” _ she laughed coldly, ignoring the murmuring that started after her announcement. She focused on Ben, on the way he didn’t back away. She wasn’t scaring him. “The wand helps channel it, the ember enhances it, spell books provide a framework, but  _ they don’t change who I am.”  _

To prove her point, she finally let her hair catch fire.

Unlike her father, the flames didn’t spring from the roots and reach skyward. Her hair smouldered. Deep purple flames curled around the tips, dancing through her locks. Smoke began to rise, drifting no more than a few centimetres away from her. 

She let her magic drift outwards, making the candles lining the abbey flicker to life. 

Her eyes glowed, but she didn’t try to reign it in.

This time, she let everyone see the dragon simmering beneath the surface.

Let them see she could set a fire that would make the world burn.

“No,” Ben challenged. He didn’t break eye contact with her. He didn’t turn when the candles began to flicker. He didn’t flinch at her flaming hair. He just looked at her -  _ into  _ her. ‘At her’ would suggest he saw her front. But Mal knew, somehow, that he was seeing past it. 

That he didn’t believe the mask. 

That this little show wasn’t scaring him. 

She needed it to scare him. 

“No, that’s down to you Mal.” He shook his head angrily, refusing to back down at her show of power. In any other circumstance, Mal would have dropped the act and kissed him. Ben stared into the heart of the dragon and told her she could be better. He looked at the wreckage that was her life and shrugged. He fought her, he challenged her...he loved her. “Who you are is based on what you want. Not your mom, not your dad,  _ you _ . What makes you happy, Mal? Hmm? What do  _ you  _ want?”

Mal knew Ben wasn’t going to back down. 

She didn’t know how to salvage this. She knew he wasn’t going to let her go - let her pick evil - without a fight. 

She needed him to be scared. 

She needed her mother to believe this was real. 

Before she could decide what her next move was, she noticed movement in the Royal Box. Her father had appeared from nowhere. Hades’ face was blank, his gaze fixed on her. Mal widened her eyes almost imperceptibly, throwing him a silent plea for help. 

She’d never wanted to fall in love. Never thought their plan to take down her mother would put her in this position.

Ben noticed her move - of course he did - and thought the plea was aimed at him. He stepped forward again, reaching for her. 

This time, she wasn’t quick enough to evade his hand on her arm. 

Ben’s touch was warm, comforting. He didn’t grab her, or try to trap her. He was trying to ground her. Mal looked at his hand in shock, the green glow in her eyes disappearing, and then she noticed her father looking pointedly at the prince. 

Suddenly, she was transported back to the mineshaft, before she knew the boy from her dreams was the future King of Auradon. 

_ There is a difference between explaining and experiencing.  _

_ I don’t want you to follow blindly because you think you have to. I want you to want it.  _

_ How else can I be sure you’re happy? _

Mal pulled herself away from Ben’s touch, from the scene playing out in her mind’s eye, managing to hide her reluctance with irritation. If there was one thing her parents had taught her, it was how to hide her true feelings. 

Her mother was behind schedule. 

But Mal was done waiting. 

She’d been waiting for eighteen years for her mother to notice her. She had been working towards this day for five.

If her mother couldn’t turn up to the battlefield, Mal was refusing to battle.

“I know what makes me happy.” she snapped, holding onto the anger. Angry was easy. Angry was familiar. Angry made baring her soul easier.

She turned, unsurprised that Evie, Jay and Carlos had made their way from the balcony to stand behind her. 

What did surprise her was seeing Doug beside Evie. He looked terrified, but resolute. His choice was to stand by Evie, no matter the cost. 

Dizzy and Ceilia were still in the pews, although they’d been plucked from their seats and were protectively tucked behind Cinderella and King Charming. 

Maybe things were changing. 

Her friends managed to look apprehensive, confused and resolute at the same time. It was clear that they had absolutely no clue what was going on - just like she’d intended - but that they’d follow her anywhere - not what she’d planned on. 

Evie threw her a look that asked her what the hell she was doing. Jay seemed stuck between glaring because she’d gone off script again and questioning if she’d lost her mind. Carlos kept his expression deliberately blank. Doug was shaking his head, silently echoing Ben’s insistence that she didn’t need to do this. 

She chanced a glance to the side, and saw a warning look on Lonnie’s face.  _ You don’t have to do this, but I’ll take you down if you do.  _

Mal growled again, the frustration at her mother’s tardiness growing.

“Seeing my friends have a chance at a life makes me happy!” She turned back to Ben, pointing back at her friends - her family - with an open palm. She let exasperation creep into her voice as she continued to shout at her boyfriend, and hoped he’d still want that title once this was over, “Stealing things doesn’t make Jay happy. Tourney and victory pizza with the team makes him happy! And for Carlos it’s Dude, who would have thought? And Evie is in her element when she’s creating things and helping people.” 

She turned back to her friends, fixing Evie with a tearful look. Her tone softened as she finally said the one thing she’d been sitting on for years, “Evie, you are so so smart. And I’m so proud of you, and you  _ do not  _ have to play dumb to get a  _ guy _ .” 

She knew the words had sunk in when Evie gave her the smallest nod and a watery smile. Doug reached over to squeeze her hand, reinforcing the message. Mal smiled carefully in return, before she spun back to Ben and switched straight back to shouting, “And I want to go to school. And join Art Club.”

Mal could see her words were starting to have an effect on the room. Fairy Godmother had tears in her eyes. Belle looked hopeful. But Adam had the same blank look as her father. 

It was almost like he was waiting for something.

“I don’t need a fucking  _ wand _ .” Mal stormed back into Ben’s personal space, all but thrusting the wand into his chest. He didn’t move to take it, instead his hands went straight to her waist. Holding her there, in case she tried to run again. “I don’t want hers and hers crowns on matching thrones. I want this life, and I want it with you, because  _ of course _ I had to go and fall in love with a fucking  _ prince _ .”

Mal laughed humorlessly, wondering exactly how this looked to the onlookers. To everyone watching from home. She must look wild. Unhinged. The flames in her hair grew with her anger, and she just knew it was starting to levitate. Things near her had begun to float, if the candlestick Chad was batting away from his head was any indication.

She smiled sadly. It looked like her mother had seen through her act. 

She wasn’t coming. 

And Mal had ruined her new life for nothing. 

She shrugged, finally losing steam. “But it doesn’t really matter. They’re all afraid of me. And always will be.”

She couldn’t say Ben was afraid of her. He wasn’t. They both knew it. But public opinion was public opinion. 

She’d be lucky if they didn’t send her back to the Isle after this. 

Before anyone could make a move, vivid green smoke burst through one of the stained glass windows and swirled around the hall. A cackle echoed through the Abbey, making Mal’s skin crawl.

And then her mother was in front of them.

“I’m baaaaack.” 

Mal felt sick. 

This was the plan. This had always been the plan. 

She ignored the way Maleficent struck a pose in front of the crowd, holding her sceptre aloft in victory. She ignored the way Adam finally looked worried. The way Ben pulled her closer to his chest and turned her away from her mother, as if that was enough to protect her from the fairy’s wrath. 

Instead, she sighed warily, giving her mother one final chance. Knowing she’d never take it. “Go away, mother.”

“She's funny.” Maleficent grinned, turning to Belle and Adam, as if they were in on some kind of joke. “Oh! I'm so... you're very funny.” She turned back to Mal, dropping the pretence of patience and holding out her hand expectantly, “Here. Wand me. Chop chop.”

Glancing up, Mal saw Hades nod from his place in the rafters. Suddenly, probably because she should be focusing elsewhere, she realised that no one else could see him. Hades was the most feared man on the Isle. He was the God of the Underworld. He wasn’t the kind of person you missed in a room. 

He wasn’t the kind of person _her_ _mother_ missed in a room.

Mal took a deep breath, steeling herself. She knew what she had to do. For her friends. For herself. For their future.

Ben must have misread her movements, because he tightened his grip, pulling her closer to his chest as he whispered that he loved her and she didn’t have to do this. 

“ _ Now _ , Mal!” Maleficent barked, stepping towards her daughter with fire in her eyes. 

She didn’t get very far.

“Enough!”

The energy that burst forth from Mal came from her very core. Every feeling she’d ever had towards her mother burst free. Every time she’d never felt good enough. Every beating. Every put down. Every brush off.

What surprised Mal was that the magic was white. 

This spell reflected her soul. She’d expected black or purple, maybe even green or blue. Not white. 

This wasn’t light magic. 

It was a curse. 

When the light receded, Maleficent was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I debated posting this message on more than one fic, and then I realised this one gets a lot more traffic. For my soapbox teaching moment on plagiarism see Chapter 11 of Daughter of Olympus. 
> 
> For everyone else,  
> \- Plagiarism is bad ju-ju  
> \- My only other pseudonym is HesMines on FanFiction.Net   
> \- There is a finite number of tropes and concepts out there. I don’t mind people using my ideas and putting their own stamps on it, just don’t copy and paste my shit (including the odd typo or format error that both the beta reader and I missed) without citing me


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it all comes together...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I have to apologise. I genuinely thought I’d already posted this. That’s what a month of kids being ill and passing bugs back and forward does to you. Four hours broken sleep every night is a killer!
> 
> I’ve tried a bit of a different ending here, tying our final loose ends together but skipping the epilogue. This story ends with the prophecy, and you can all have your own version of the happily ever after.

Ben was the first to react. 

Lowering the arm he’d lifted to cover his face - Mal was glad to see he had  _ some  _ sense of self preservation - he looked to where Maleficent had stood. 

“What the-?” The question was open ended as he stared uncomprehendingly at the blinking purple lizard. He looked back to meet Mal’s guarded gaze, then looked back at her mother. 

Whatever Ben had expected, this wasn’t it. 

“She shrank to the size of the love in her heart.” Mal shrugged noncommittally, tossing the wand back to a shocked Fairy Godmother. She walked closer, studying the lizard carefully, as she mused, “I’m surprised she’s not smaller to be honest.”

Mal wasn’t sure what to feel. There was a distinct absence of feeling. 

Until the age of thirteen, she had known nothing but her mother’s cruelty. Taken the crumbs and convinced herself they were a cake. Then she met her father. Discovered the prophecy. Spent five years with a father who cared, but couldn’t accept that reality until she came to Auradon. 

Until Ben.

It was one thing to know that she’d need to face her mother. She’d known her role for years.

But to actually do it. 

To  _ actually  _ cast the spell that would best Maleficent. 

She should feel something.

Right?

Or was this numb feeling really just shock?

Hades chose that moment to make himself known, materialising next to Mal. She didn’t even blink. Of course, his hair was on fire. Hers still smouldered at the ends. 

The link was clear. 

There were gasps. Ben tried to keep a lid on his shock at seeing his girlfriend's father appear from nowhere, but failed miserably.

Evie’s expression stayed deliberately blank, but she did move closer to Doug. Putting herself between him and Hades.

Hades ignored the reaction, instead affectionately bumping Mal’s shoulder with his before he walked toward his ex-wife, “Nice job, Mallie.”

He crouched down, a triumphant grin spreading across his face as he picked up Maleficent by the tail. He let her dangle in the air in front of his face for a moment, “You’ve never looked better my dear.”

“Oh  _ look,  _ it’s the deadbeat who beats the dead.” 

Mal’s eyes widened as the lizard let out a high pitched snarl and began thrashing about in Hades’ grip. She looked at Ben instinctively, checking he’d heard it too. Judging by the way his eyes were bugging out of his head, he had. 

Hades just grinned and let Maleficent continue swinging, “Oh this is too good.”

The scene was almost comical. Almost. 

If you could ignore the undercurrent of terror. 

The Auradon Guard had begun to quietly remove people from the abbey. Those who remained were either huddled together, thinking safety in numbers, or were stewing away, ready to blow at any given moment. The air in front of the dais was charged.

Her mother may be beaten. But Mal’s reputation was in pieces.

No standing on the Isle because she chose good. No trust in Auradon because she took the wand.

She needed to figure out where she went from here. And fast. Before someone decided to send her to the dungeons.

Ben would probably throw a fit, and she’d smoke out anyway, but it would be an inconvenience.

Before Mal could get her father's attention, Adam and Belle stepped down to join them. They were smiling. Mal frowned, even as she felt Ben step in behind her and wrap his arms around her waist protectively. 

His entire family was crazy. That had to be it. 

His mother fell for the Beast. Ben fell for the VK. Even after everything that had just gone down, he was getting ready to have her back. Stupid levels of optimism and a lack of self preservation were clearly hereditary. 

So she didn’t let herself relax into his hold. But she didn’t push him away either.

He was probably worried about her running off or turning evil while everyone was distracted by the aftermath..

So what if she enjoyed the affection?

The powers that be probably wouldn’t let it go on much longer.

Determined not to be drawn in by his parents’ lack of hostility, Mal subtly glanced around the Abbey. Her survival instincts told her to search out the Council members. Read the room. They would be involved in what happened next. Nothing good would come from Audrey’s family having a hand in her fate. 

The Council members were easy enough to find. Due to their status, they were all seated in the pews to the left and right of the altar. 

Mal frowned again as she searched the faces. 

The family members who didn’t sit on the Council were reacting the way she’d expected. But those who had a seat…

Queen Leah looked disgusted, while Prince Phillip and Aurora looked impressed. Cinderella was radiating white hot fury, her glare almost enough to set Hades alight. Robin Hood and Tiana were grinning. Elsa threw Mal a reassuring smile, looking proud. 

Not a single Council member seemed surprised. 

Some were scared. Furious. Indignant even.

But not surprised.

“That was a little too close for my liking, Hades.” Adam’s words drew Mal’s attention back to the front of the room. He tried to sound disapproving as he clapped Hades on the shoulder, but the relieved smile shone through. 

Mal noticed the way Cinderella’s eyes narrowed.

Hades just shrugged, conjuring a ball of energy around Maleficent. This was clearly to be her mother’s cage - and it was guaranteed to be a lot stronger than the barrier. When he met the King’s gaze, Hades smirked, “Admit it, you were worried.”

_ Admit it, you were worried. _

_ Admit it... _

The words echoed in Mal’s mind, taunting her.

This issue wasn’t her father’s easy belief in her, it was the fact that -

“He knew?” Mal accused, looking between her father and the King. Her irritation was clear as she snapped, “You mean I’ve been worrying about whether or not this little display would get me sent back to the Isle and he  _ knew?” _

Her hair sparked to life again, the flames filling the space around her before calming and curling around her shoulders. She felt Ben’s sharp intake of breath and heard Jay’s muttered curses, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

Anger felt better than the numbness. 

After spending years being told she’d have to face her mother, that she would need to play smarter and harder to stay ahead...discovering another puppetmaster didn’t sit well. 

She couldn’t think of anything she’d have done differently if she’d known Adam had known. But she certainly wouldn’t have worried so much about accusations of treason.

She might have even told Ben. 

Maybe. Probably not. Maybe.

Before she could say anything that could land her in trouble, Ben surprised her by reaching up to capture a strand of her hair between his fingers. Mal froze - the fire wouldn’t hurt him, couldn’t, she wouldn’t let it - but he didn’t know that. 

She turned to him slowly, her mouth open in a silent question.

Ben didn’t even look sorry. He was too busy being entranced by the way the flames licked his fingers without burning him. 

Mal couldn’t help it. She laughed. 

It was loud and manic and maybe even a little unhinged. 

Because this day couldn’t get any weirder. 

She hadn’t decided if she was going to deck him for being so presumptuous, or kiss him because he genuinely did not give a fuck about her powers, when Carlos stepped into the fray.

“Okay, okay,” Carlos interrupted, his hands half raised. Mal couldn’t tell if it was in surrender or peacemaking. 

At this point, she didn’t really care. 

All she wanted to do was get out of this damn Abbey, out of this damn dress, and work out what the fuck she was feeling.

And if she could do that while snuggling with Ben, it would be a bonus.

“I think I speak for all of us, especially Ben, when I ask… _ what the fuck _ just happened?” Carlos gestured around the room wildly.

Suddenly sober, Mal chanced a glance at her father. She may be pissed, and she might not have been raised on Olympus, but she knew some things needed to stay in the realm of the gods. Prophecies and daughters trained to betray their mothers was not a topic for polite conversation.

Either way, Carlos didn’t give her a chance to respond. His adrenaline rush was fuelling the kind of indignant rant that she normally only saw from Jay, “You told us in the limo coming to Auradon that we weren’t touching your mother’s plan to steal the wand...and then you do it anyway! Alone! And  _ then  _ you turn her into a lizard!” 

He paused, glancing back at the ball floating near Hades. Maleficent bared her teeth from inside her prison, and Carlos turned back to Mal, his eyes impossibly wider, “A  _ lizard!  _ That talks. And your hair’s on fire which is  _ not _ normal. And  _ when _ did you plan on telling us that Hades is your father? You’ll announce to a room of strangers that you’re a demigod, but you used to bite our faces off whenever we started talking about our other parents! ” 

“I knew about her dad,” Ben cut in to supply unhelpfully, finally looking up from her hair. That earned an eye roll from Jay, and Carlos muttered something that sounded like  _ ‘of course he did.’  _

Jay and Carlos paused, realising that Evie hadn’t said anything. They turned slowly, their looks accusing by the time they faced her. Even Doug was throwing her a questioning glance. Evie grimaced, holding her hands up as she admitted, “I’ve known for years.”

Carlos’ mouth pressed into a firm line, while Jay glared, pointing between the two girls, “After this, we are having a talk. A long one. About trust and required knowledge and not being a dick.”

Mal groaned, laying her head against Ben’s shoulder. She deserved that. 

She could imagine the lecture Jay was brewing. And Carlos would match Jay’s ‘what the fuck’ with ‘why couldn’t you trust us’. They’d go on for hours.

Despite the chaos, this was normal. The reactions were familiar. 

This was her family. 

And they weren’t scared of her. 

Ben was too busy being fascinated by her hair. Carlos and Jay were pissed at her. And no doubt Evie had the mother of all guilt trips ready to go. She could see Doug was confused as hell, but ready to stick around. And Lonnie...Lonnie was going to kick her ass.

_ The strength of evil is good as none when stands before four hearts as one.  _

She’d always thought she’d had to do this alone. 

But she wasn’t. And that realisation helped the anger and numbness fade.

“Can we circle back to whatever it is my dad knows?” Ben cut in, prodding Mal in the side and pulling her from her thoughts. He’d finally dropped her hair, if nothing else. She reigned the flames in, attempting to buy herself some time. 

She’d spent years preparing for a battle. She’d never considered the aftermath. 

Whatever she’d envisioned...it definitely had less questions.

Mal took a deep breath, “Prophecy management 101...don’t tell the subject more than she needs to know. My knowledge starts and ends with knowing I’d need to face my mom when I was eighteen, or evil would reign supreme.” She shrugged, gesturing towards their parents, “Ask them.” 

It was a cop out. But their fathers deserved it.

Hades and Adam looked at each other, seemingly having a silent conversation. Adam threw a look off to the side. Cogsworth nodded, shoo-ing everyone from the hall with renewed vigour and promises of wine.

Mal frowned, but before she could ask, Adam began speaking to her father, “The cameras are off, the Abbey is being emptied, I’d say we can share here.”

Hades merely shrugged, “It’s happened. Olympus doesn’t care if it gets out now.”

Adam turned back to Ben, stealing himself for the next bit. They all heard his words, but he was speaking to his son, “Auradon was founded on a prophecy. Maleficent would return to power. But only if she had her daughter -  _ the daughter of a king _ \- by her side. The girl would be more powerful than her mother, and she would be Maleficent's only weakness. We took steps to make sure it could never come to pass...and it didn’t make a difference.”

“That’s generally how prophecies work,” Doug muttered from his spot beside Evie. When the others turned to him, he shrugged, “What? Like none of you went through an obscure obsessive phase at the age of thirteen? Ben’s was dragons, which makes complete sense now.”

Hades laughed, muttering something that sounded like  _ ‘I like this one.’ _

Evie perked up at the words, shooting Mal a grin before collecting herself. Ben didn’t miss the warm look that crossed Hades’ expression at their exchange, and made a note to ask Mal about it later.

“As much as it pains me to admit it, Doug’s right. Creating the Isle, stripping everyone of their titles, moving away from magic...it  _ didn’t  _ make a difference.” Adam studied the six teenagers before him, almost proudly.

They really did look like a mismatched group. Thrown together by circumstance and luck.

Circumstance that EQ and Maleficent were best friends and threw their kids together. 

Luck that Jay had found Carlos the first time Cruella went too far. 

Sheer stubbornness on Ben’s part for pushing the VK programme through, just to get the girl he’d spent a few weeks dreaming about off the Isle. 

And the blind optimism from Doug that Evie was more than she knew.

Despite being dressed for the occasion, their differences were as obvious as their friendship. 

Reason and logic would have never thrown them together.

But a prophecy, that was something else.

Adam smiled, making sure he made eye contact with everyone, “Mal needed to learn to love. But you four needed to grow, and realise that you are stronger together than you are alone.”

“Why did you let me grow up on the Isle?” Mal asked suddenly, the words sounded like they were aimed at Adam, but her eyes were on her father. It wasn’t the first time she’d asked him that question. But her tone made it clear she was expecting a better answer this time. “Why not take me away from her? Raise me in the Underworld?” 

She paused, giving Hades the opportunity to answer. Adam knew better than to get involved. When he didn’t, she pushed harder, “Why risk me standing alongside her?”

She’d had five years of her father before she’d come to Auradon. And she wasn’t sure she’d have made the same choices without that influence.

It could have happened so easily. If he’d stayed out of her life, or if she hadn’t accepted him, it was entirely possible that she would have chosen evil. Chosen to keep chasing her mother’s approval. 

“It was the only way,” Hades admitted, his voice low. Mal had never seen this side of her father before. 

A Hades didn’t do regret. They followed their own moral compass, even if it didn’t always point due north. 

He’d never apologised for leaving her when she was a baby. Never talked about it. It was always,  _ ‘I’m here now.’  _

“I needed to leave you with your mother to make sure she could never lure you in. Growing up on the Isle was the easiest way to make sure you’d see through her. If I’d brought you here, or raised you on Olympus, she’d have snuck into your head and romanticised evil. Or she’d have straight up spelled you.”

He paused, weighing his words carefully, “Leaving you with her, not knowing if you’d let me back in, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Ben felt Mal stop breathing at the admission, and squeezed her hip reassuringly. 

There was genuine sorrow in Hades’ eyes. As though everything he’d missed was playing out before his eyes. The time he couldn’t get back.

Then as soon as it was there, the moment was gone. 

Breaking Mal’s gaze, Hades continued easily, “Maleficent found out about the prophecy on the Isle. So she got pregnant. I didn’t know until Mal was three months old. I did some digging, then let the King here in on what needed to happen to secure a desirable outcome. That’s why Olympus has a seat on the Council despite not actually being a member kin-.” 

“No. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not good enough.” 

Mal jumped at the sudden explosion from behind her. Turning towards the voice, Mal watched as Cinderella pushed her way into the circle, glaring at Adam and Hades. 

Pointing a perfectly manicured finger at Ben’s father, she growled,  _ “You _ are on my shit list.  _ That _ was far too close and  _ entirely _ unnecessary. You can keep the Council in the dark, fine, but not your wife and her best friend. And  _ you,” _ she rounded on Hades, stepping towards him and prodding him in the chest. 

Hades grinned, as if he hadn’t been baring his soul moments before. As if getting a reaction from Cinderella was the  _ second _ best thing to happen all day. 

Mal bit back a laugh, leaning a little more firmly on Ben. She’d never seen someone bust her father’s balls before. 

_ “You _ have just been added to the committee for resettling VKs. It’s happening, because if Mr Beast over here values his balls, he's making another Order tomorrow. And  _ then _ we’re all going to have some nice long chats about responsible parenting. Prophecy or no prophecy  _ this,” _ she gestured to the chaos in the Abbey, “did not need to happen.


End file.
